


All We Need is a Little Time

by Piet94



Series: all we need [1]
Category: League of Legends
Genre: Drug Use, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Oral Sex, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Praise Kink, Strap-Ons, Vaginal Fingering, all i know is k/da has been living rent free in my head since more came out, i don't...know what this is, i wanted it modern au-ish so instead of having eve be a pain inflicting demon i did this instead, so like have this shit??? idk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-23
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:55:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 51,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27676379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Piet94/pseuds/Piet94
Summary: Bright specks of broken glass fell over the carpet, falling like bright little stars. There was something poetic there if Evelynn cared enough to think about it.Or, the three times Evelynn fucked up, and the one time she didn't.
Relationships: Ahri/Akali/Evelynn/Kai'Sa (League of Legends), Ahri/Evelynn (League of Legends), Akali/Evelynn (League of Legends), Evelynn/Kai'Sa (League of Legends)
Series: all we need [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2074545
Comments: 186
Kudos: 385





	1. Ahri

**Author's Note:**

> Anyway, standard disclaimer that I know next to nothing about the lore for these characters or this game. I did the bare minimum amount of research of this fic. All I know is K/DA is hot. They're into women. I had to write a thing. Unbeta'd, all mistakes are my own etc etc

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anyway, standard disclaimer that I know next to nothing about the lore for these characters or this game. I did the bare minimum amount of research of this fic. All I know is K/DA is hot. They're into women. I had to write a thing. Unbeta'd, all mistakes are my own etc etc

Ahri left her.

It wasn’t so surprising, really, if Evelynn thought about it. She was an idol, a K-Pop star with too blue eyes, and a smile so vibrant that it made people weak in the knees. Evelynn – well. Evelynn was none of those things. She was a strung-out drug addict who couldn’t get her fucking shit together. She knew Ahri was going to leave her, cut ties with the thing holding her career back. Strung out as she was, Evelynn wasn’t an _idiot_. She could hear the hushed arguments between Ahri and her management team; arguments about her, mostly. Evelynn was holding her back, making her miss rehearsals, putting Ahri in a bad public light.

It made Evelynn’s teeth ache for a hit, something to take the guilt away, despite the near-constant hits being the _source_ of said guilt. Evelynn was bad for Ahri. She knew this, but she couldn’t just leave her. Ahri was the light in the darkness – Ahri made her want to be _better_. Still though…she couldn’t get her fucking shit together. The lure of the high was too fucking strong. So, Evelynn followed it. She always had. And Ahri left her.

She sat in their too-big house, half-empty closet standing open to her right. All of Ahri’s things were gone, her clothes, her jewelry, her makeup – everything. All she had was a worn piece of paper, like Ahri had spent ages writing it, wringing it in anxious hands. Evelynn crumpled it in her own hand, flipping her zippo lighter on and off, watching the flame dance and cast strange shadows over the walls. Her teeth ached, her body screaming at her for the rush of heroin, or the thrill of cocaine, or anything, really. Evelynn had always been partial to injecting the heroin, craving the sudden, immediate high it brought her. Everything was just _better_ when she was high.

But no – not tonight. Not when Ahri left her with nothing but a shitty letter to say goodbye. Evelynn imagined those too blue eyes, misty with emotion as she wrote. Or maybe she was just angry, too fed up with Evelynn’s bullshit to even be sad about it anymore. Evelynn didn’t know. She didn’t feel like she knew Ahri at all anymore. How much could you _really_ know anyone, after all?

Seized with sudden, all-consuming rage, Evelynn snarled, dragging over an empty trash can and lighting the fucking letter on fire. She let it burn, let the flames lick at her fingers until the heat became unbearable. She dropped the rapidly crumbling paper into the trash can, letting it burn itself out as she watched. She took to pacing, a headache pounding behind her tired eyes. Her fingers danced against her thighs, drumming an anxious beat. She paced faster, unsure _what_ she wanted to do. But – no. She knew what she wanted to do, but she wouldn’t give Ahri the fucking satisfaction. She wouldn’t take a hit. She _wouldn’t_.

Before Evelynn realized what she was doing, she found herself on her hands and knees, reaching underneath the bed. A stash was there, hidden in plain sight for when the urge hit, when the addiction took root in her stomach and branched out, spreading the poison through her nerves and skin and muscle until it was all she could think about. Desperate fingers found the box and, disgusted with herself, Evelynn wrenched the top off it. Nothing.

She stared in disbelief, a single, soggy laugh erupting from her lips as her eyes flooded with hot, angry tears. Not only had Ahri left her, but she’d also taken the one thing that could make Evelynn feel better about it. Snarling, nearly feral, Evelynn threw the box across the room, watching it break against the wall, chipping the paint. Whatever. It wasn’t like Evelynn could afford this place on her own – that was the next owners’ problem. She shouted behind clenched teeth, dragging her fingers through her hair, hands shaking. She didn’t want to do this. She didn’t – but there wasn’t anything else she _could_ do. Ahri was gone. Heroin was all that was left.

In a daze, Evelynn grabbed her coat, shrugging it on and making her way downstairs. The pictures remained undisturbed and she paused to observe them. There was one of Ahri and her at their high school graduation. Ahri was mid-laugh, Evelynn looking smitten next to her, arm looped around her waist. They looked young, happy. The next was college, which provided more of the same. Though, Ahri looked smitten in this one. There was a photo of them wrapped around each other after Ahri got signed, one at the party for her first release, one from their first vacation together. Evelynn could see exactly where she fell off the wagon each time. The addiction had been an ongoing struggle.

She’d gotten clean for a long fucking time. After high school, Ahri had threatened to leave, in college, she’d threatened to leave. Fear had spurred Evelynn into action, quitting cold turkey the first couple of times. It had been the most difficult thing in the world – the most painful too. But it was for Ahri, she didn’t want to lose Ahri. She was clean until Ahri was signed. Drugs and alcohol flowed like candy and Evelynn, despite the fact she was clean, was still an _addict_. It was dangled in front of her face and she partook, telling herself it was only the one hit, to see what it was like. From there, it spiraled. She’d been using for years, getting progressively worse as time wore on. Ahri threatened to leave again, but it fell on deaf ears. She hadn’t the first few times – she wouldn’t this time. Ahri would be there for her – Evelynn knew it. She was wrong.

Blinking, Evelynn continued down the stairs, flipping the hood of her jacket up over her hair. She caught a flash of her reflection in a mirror, stopping fast to look at herself. She looked terrible. Deep shadows bruised under her eyes, her cheeks hollowed out – cheekbones sharp in a distinctly unhealthy looking way. Her skin even looked terrible, dull, and dry. She stared accusingly at her reflection, disgusted despite herself. It was no wonder Ahri left her. Evelynn wouldn’t have stayed with herself either. Her fist clenched, and without thinking about it, she swung it into the mirror, shattering her own busted reflection. The glass cracked, shattering beneath her hand. It stung suddenly, and Evelynn sucked in a breath through her teeth as she hastily brought her hand back. The glass fell from the frame, thunking into the desk underneath it. Bright specks of broken glass fell over the carpet, falling like bright little stars. There was something poetic there if Evelynn cared enough to think about it.

She didn’t. She, instead, twisted her hand, seeing deep cuts from the glass lining the side of her hand. The pain was sudden and intense, and she hissed out a breath through her teeth, nails biting into her palm. It made her ache for the high even more, knowing it would make the pain disappear. Both the physical and emotional. Blood leaked from the wounds, down Evelynn’s wrist to drip into the expensive carpet. There was probably glass in it, but Evelynn didn’t care. She simply unfolded her fingers, kicked the desk, and crunched her way across the broken glass to the front door.

The cold air was bracing, and Evelynn watched her breath fog the air. It made the heat in her hand increase tenfold, the throb clearing her head of the worst of the craving. She took a moment to breathe deep, the cold air filling her lungs. Mist clung to her hair and Evelynn pulled her coat a little tighter. She didn’t even bother to lock the door behind her as she left. She padded away from their overpriced neighborhood, ignoring the neighbors calling out to her in greeting. Fuck them. They’d always liked Ahri more than her anyway. They were probably thrilled she’d no longer be around. She shoved her unhurt hand into her pocket, flexing her fingers to force blood into them, to warm herself up.

It didn’t take her long to find her preferred dealer. A fifteen-minute walk down to the corner of their stupid neighborhood had her passing the dealer a hundred dollar bill in exchange for a decent amount of her chosen poison. A tenner couldn’t get her high anymore and Evelynn knew she’d need a shit ton to make her forget everything tonight. She was pretty sure she had single-handedly funded her dealer’s life with as much of Ahri’s money she gave him.

She pocketed the drugs, wandering until she was so cold she felt numb. She didn’t want to go shoot up in her and Ahri’s shared home. She still harbored enough self-realization to realize that would make her feel even guiltier in the morning. Instead, she found herself a nice, stereotypically dank alley to post up in. Sniffing, Evelynn glanced around, retreating into the shadows, wondering if her eyes flashed to anyone passing by. It gave her a sick, sadistic sense of pleasure to imagine scaring people. If she had to be miserable, so did everyone else. Settling down with her back against the wall, Evelynn flicked the crook of her arm a few times, knowing already it was no hope. Her veins there were pretty much shot. She was having to get increasingly more creative with her injection sites.

Finally, she found a decent one, pressing the plunger down on the syringe and losing herself in blessed numbness.

***

  
_Ahri was beautiful like this, Evelynn would never think anything different. She was radiant, basking in the attention. She supposed, distantly, that she should be jealous. People were fawning all over Ahri, nearly tripping over themselves for the satisfaction of her attention._

_However, Evelynn knew Ahri. She knew that woman was hers, through and through, just as she was Ahri’s. So, instead of flying into a tacky jealous rage, Evelynn simply lounged back in her chair, sipping at her champagne. Her eyes flicked away from Ahri momentarily taking refuge on a pretty obvious drug deal near the entrance of the room. She knew it was bad for her, knew she should look away – but she couldn’t. Evelynn bit the inside of her cheek, watching the handsome young actor nervously pass money over to the equally handsome dealer. She watched the fine white powder being pressed into his hand. The actor nervously scratched at his cheek and Evelynn bit her own harder in response. It was getting more difficult to ignore those types of things, but she was doing well so far. She was behaving. For Ahri’s sake._

_She tore her eyes away from the fine white powder, ignoring the itch beneath her skin in favor of watching the other captivating thing in the room. Ahri was laughing, leaning in close with some good looking woman and talking right into her ear. She was pressed up against the other woman, arm thrown carelessly around her shoulders as they spoke. Evelynn took a sip of her champagne, relishing the way the bubbles popped against the backs of her teeth. She swirled the alcohol idly, watching Ahri as she wove the people around her little finger. They would eat out of the palm of her hand if she asked, Evelynn knew it for a fact._

_Snorting in amusement, she crossed her legs, propping her chin in the palm of her hand as her eyes wandered. She was bored, and when she was bored, she ogled Ahri. Her eyes swept over her girlfriend’s bare shoulders, down the graceful line of her spine. She watched the shift of muscle along her back, licking across the front of her teeth. The problem with being bored and staring at Ahri meant she started imagining Ahri naked and that opened a whole can of worms that Evelynn_ knew _Ahri didn’t want to deal with tonight. It was too important to her. Still though…she was awfully nice to look at. She followed the graceful line of Ahri’s spine down to the curve of her rear, tilting her head as she stared. Once she got her fill, Evelynn looked back up again, finding Ahri glancing sidelong at her._

 _Evelynn laughed under her breath, raising her champagne glass in Ahri’s direction – admitting defeat. Ahri broke away from the gaggle of people around her, smiling and making excuses. Evelynn felt a subtle thrill go through her stomach at the action. She sat up straight, fingers tapping at the rim of her glass. Ahri came toward her, the click of her heels on the tile floor nearly all Evelynn could hear. She was just so_ fun _at these things._

_“Hi Eve,” Ahri grinned, bracing her weight against one hand on the table. Evelynn’s eyes fell immediately to the generous spill of her breasts_

_at the top of Ahri’s dress. “You might actually get somewhere if you came over, you know.”_

_Evelynn made a face, flicking her eyes up to meet Ahri’s again. “I’m trying to_ behave _. I know how important this is to you.”_

_“Oh, you’re too sweet,” Ahri teased, standing straight and brushing the backs of her fingers over Evelynn’s cheek. “When have you ever behaved?”_

_“I’m behaving right now,” Evelynn drawled, gesturing loosely around her._

_“Well…don’t.”_

_Evelynn’s eyes flashed, and she stared hard into Ahri’s pretty face. The smirk at the corner of her mouth was downright sinful and Evelynn clenched her hand hard around her champagne glass._

_“This thing is boring anyway. Don’t behave.”_

_“You seemed to be having plenty of fun over there,” Evelynn said, gesturing in the direction of Ahri’s cluster of admirers._

_“Seemed being the operative word.” Ahri braced both hands on the table, leaning in close, invading Evelynn’s personal space. “I’d have a lot more fun with you, Eve.”_

_Evelynn didn’t rise to the bait, though the admission set her stomach squirming. She slowly brought the champagne glass to her lips, not breaking eye contact with Ahri as she took a sip, wrapping her lips around the rim a bit more obviously than was strictly necessary. She did enjoy seeing the flush of pink in Ahri’s cheeks at the action though. “We’ll see.”_

_Ahri tsk-d, standing straight and booping Evelynn’s nose as she turned on her heel and moved back toward the crowd of people she’d left behind. Instead of immediately raising to the lure, Evelynn sat back, feeling like she held all the cards. That was half the fun of being with Ahri. The push and pull, the game of cat and mouse. It had always been that way. Since they were kids, they’d enjoyed dancing around each other, letting the tension hang thick between them until it broke and they either rolled with it or broke with it. Their fights, after all, were legendary. Evelynn huffed in amusement under her breath, her fingers drumming idly against the table as she watched Ahri charm the crowd again. It was so effortless for her. Evelynn was sure that fucking gorgeous face helped._

_She let it hang – the game heating up the longer she let it. She noticed Ahri glancing over at her, annoyance pinching her brow. She surely thought Evelynn’s self-control would have broken by now. “_ Oh no, baby, _” Evelynn thought, “_ I’ve got self-control for days. I haven’t touched drugs in years – you’re close, but you’re no heroin. _”_

 _She watched as Ahri started to squirm, becoming genuinely bored with entertaining the crowd around her. Still, Evelynn let it hang, watching Ahri get increasingly annoyed as the time wore on. Finally, taking pity on her, Evelynn stood, finishing her champagne and setting the glass on table with a solid_ thunk _. She moved through the party-goers, feeling distinctly like a predator about to pounce on unsuspecting prey. Ahri had stopped glancing for her about half an hour ago, apparently considering the game over. She caught snippets of conversation as they moved in close. It was nothing she cared about._

_Thoughtlessly, she ran her hand up Ahri’s back, scratching a touch too hard at the dimples to either side of her spine. Backless dresses were fun, especially when Ahri wore them. She felt her girlfriend stiffen, going to pull away before she realized who it was. Ahri leaned back into her, shoulders going loose, her whole body relaxing under Evelynn’s touch. They were about the same height, but Evelynn’s heels were taller tonight, so Ahri turned her head and breathed out against the curve of her jaw._

_“Oh, hi baby.”_

_“Hi,” Evelynn murmured back, making eye contact with the person who had been speaking with Ahri. “Hi,” she said louder, removing her hand from Ahri’s back in favor of offering them a wave, “Evelynn.”_

_They introduced themselves, but Evelynn only half-heard, far more interested in the curves of Ahri’s body. Ahri began speaking with them again, far more animatedly now that Evelynn was at her back. The surrounding people were far more interested in Ahri too, which, for the moment, suited Evelynn just fine. She took her time touching the woman in front of her, ghosting her touch against the clothed curve of Ahri’s hip, the bare slope of her shoulder, the soft jut of the corner of her jaw. Ahri seemed to approve, shifting her weight from foot to foot and breathing slowly out every time Evelynn glanced over somewhere new. It was so easy to rile her up like this. Ahri always did relish performing in front of a crowd. Evelynn caught sight of the flush in her cheeks and had to bite the inside of her own to keep from smiling._

_She bent her neck, ghosting a kiss against the curve of Ahri’s jaw. Ahri glanced over at her, gaze soft, indulgent. She groped blindly for Evelynn’s hand, and Evelynn gave it to her. She twined their fingers, squeezing her hand. “I love you,” she told her, a slow, sweet smile playing at the corner of her mouth._

_Evelynn’s heart gave a sudden, uneven thump in her chest. Her world spun and she found herself lost once again in those too blue eyes. “Yeah,” she breathed out, kissing her cheek with purpose this time, “Love you too.”_

_Ahri smiled at her, the corners of her eyes crinkling. She broke their gaze in favor of going back to the conversation at hand. She gave Evelynn’s hand one more squeeze, releasing it to talk with her hands. Evelynn gave her hip a squeeze, her fingers walking around to the dip at the base of Ahri’s spine._

_The dress was low in the back, exposing as much of it as possible without going vulgar. Evelynn certainly appreciated it – both as someone with a distinct eye for fashion and as someone with a distinct interest in Ahri’s body. She stroked her thumb gently along the base of Ahri’s spine, smirking as her girlfriend’s voice shook. She repeated the motion, Ahri’s body repressing a shiver at the motion. Evelynn could feel it though, pressed against her back as she was. With her own body in the way, her hand had free reign to grope whatever part of Ahri she wanted. Ahri_ had _given her permission to not behave, after all._

_She slipped her fingers beneath the fabric of Ahri’s dress, plucking playfully at her underwear as she went. She couldn’t comfortably fit her whole hand in – not without threatening the integrity of the stitching, but Evelynn did what she could with what she had. Ahri’s voice climbed an octave, her whole body stiffening as Evelynn swirled her fingers across warm skin. Her free hand rested on Ahri’s left hip, a warm anchor to keep her still – to not give the game away. With every gentle brush of her fingers, Ahri sounded more and more breathless._

_She wasn’t even touching anything overtly sexual. Still though, it was the forbidden nature of it that seemed to be doing it for both of them. If anyone saw them – Evelynn with her fingers down the back of Ahri’s dress – it would be a media frenzy. They already were. Evelynn knew she wasn’t exactly the squeakiest clean option for Ahri to be publicly dating. She looked scary, she looked mean, she looked like a lot of things. Granted, Evelynn knew she_ was _kind of mean. Not to Ahri though, never to Ahri. (That wasn’t strictly true either, their fights got nasty)._

 _Ahri licked her lips, shifting her hips back to press against Evelynn’s front. “Hey,” she smoothly cut into the conversation, “Can you all excuse me for just a minute? Have to go powder my nose.” She smiled, feigning shyness for the crowd’s benefit. It was so_ stupid _, but since it was Ahri, it was also endlessly charming. “C’mon Eve.” She subtly brushed free of Evelynn’s grip, taking the hand that was just down her dress and giving it a gentle tug._

_“Duty calls,” she murmured to the crowd, a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. She caught some confused looks, some thinly veiled surprise. Whatever, let them think what they would. Most of them were probably only half wrong._

_Ahri kept their fingers tangled as she led her to the nearest bathroom. They were stopped several times along the way, once for a photo. Ahri wasted no time wrapping herself around Evelynn and grinning at the lens. Evelynn herself even smiled, hand resting comfortably on Ahri’s lower back. Ahri effortlessly kept the conversations short though, moving Evelynn with her. She found them a single person bathroom, pressing in the lock and leaning back with her shoulders against the tile walls._

_“Ugh, it seems like it never ends.” She tilted her head back, hitting the back of her head gently against the wall._

_“Mm,” was Evelynn’s noncommittal answer._

_Ahri cracked an eye open, shoulders slumping. “Oh, get over here,” she said, amusement thick in her tone._

_Evelynn did so, walking forward and pressing her palms to the wall beside Ahri’s head, bracketing her between her arms. She nosed Ahri’s head to the side, pressing her nose up underneath her jaw and inhaling deeply. She smelled like expensive perfume – something fresh and woodsy. “You smell nice,” she breathed into her skin._

_Ahri’s fingers carded through her hair, catching the dyed red strands and working through any tangles she found with unbearable gentleness. “That was mean out there, you know.”_

_“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”_

_“Oh, of course you don’t. You should have just eased the zipper down and done something else, not sat there and teased me for an hour.”_

_“You could have pulled me in here sooner.”_

_“Fair,” Ahri sighed, going warm and pliant under her hands._

_Evelynn pressed a kiss to the skin of her neck, pulling back to gather Ahri’s hair and smooth it over her opposite shoulder. She pressed her mouth to the newly exposed skin, starting just under the curve of her jaw and trailing kisses down to her collar bone. “What do you want, Ahri?” she breathed against her throat, nipping gently with her teeth. No marks, she knew better than that._

_A groan got caught in Ahri’s throat, and Evelynn felt her hips jog forward. She leaned forward, pressing her weight into the woman in front of her, keeping her pinned. She pressed her hands against Ahri’s ribs, applying gentle, consistent pressure. “What do you_ want _, Ahri?”_

_“Mm – you. You, Eve.”_

_“Me what?”_

_“Oh, you – ” Ahri’s teeth snapped ineffectually at the open air and she opened her eyes to glare blearily at her, “You_ know _what.”_

_“I do,” Evelynn agreed. “I want to hear you say it.”_

_A flash of something shot through Ahri’s eyes at that and Evelynn pulled back from her neck, standing in front of her and looking down into that gorgeous face. Ahri reached up, looping her arms over Evelynn’s shoulders and swaying them gently from side to side in a pantomime of a dance. “I want you to make me go stupid.”_

_Evelynn felt a grin tugging at the corner of her mouth. It wasn’t quite what she was looking for, but it was certainly enough to get her blood pumping. She sure could make Ahri go stupid. “That’ll do,” she praised, leaning forward and taking Ahri’s mouth in a kiss._

_Ahri was warm and pliable under her hands and she opened her mouth as soon as Evelynn’s tongue brushed her lower lip. She stepped forward, pressing herself flush against Ahri, forcing her harshly back against the bathroom wall. She swept her tongue through Ahri’s mouth, curling it against the backs of her teeth. She swallowed the groan that Ahri let out, working her thigh between Ahri’s and slipping her hands down to the swell of her hips. Ahri’s hips jogged forward again, not finding the friction she was looking for. Her dress was way too in the way._

_Evelynn, taking pity on her, reached behind her and undid the zipper. She eased the dress down her torso, her free right hand coming up to cover a breast and squeezing. A flush had painted Ahri’s skin a pretty pink, spreading from the tips of her ears all the way down her chest. She broke the kiss, leaving Ahri gasping and chasing after her. “Be patient,” she told her, tone brook no-nonsense. Ahri bit her bottom lip, blue eyes hazy with desire – but she obeyed. Good._

_Her thumb thoughtlessly slid over Ahri’s nipple as her left hand worked the dress down the swell of her hips. Ahri stepped out of it as the fabric pooled at her feet. She was a god damn vision, shining golden under the shitty fluorescent light of the bathroom. Evelynn took a moment to admire her – the soft curves of her body combined with the hard-earned musculature that Ahri hated curating. She never enjoyed the workouts, but Evelynn was grateful for them if only for how alluring it made her look. Though, Evelynn admitted to herself, she’d like Ahri no matter how much or how little muscle tone she had. “Mm,” she hummed out, giving Ahri’s breast another grateful squeeze. “Let’s lose these too.”_

_She plucked thoughtlessly at Ahri’s underwear, hooking her index finger into the string over her hip and tugging it down. Ahri helped, wiggling her hips to aid in their removal. Evelynn grinned as the light reflected off a smear of arousal on Ahri’s inner thigh. She really had been worked up. Despite herself, she felt a swell of pride well in her chest._

_Ahri shivered as she leaned back against the wall. “Cold,” she told her needlessly, reaching out for Evelynn._

_“I bet,” Evelynn teased, pressing both her hands on Ahri’s ribs and sliding them down along the dip in her waist. She sighed in appreciation, her thumbs passing over the dips of muscle near Ahri’s hips. “You’re just a god damn sight.”_

_Ahri flushed, biting her lower lip. “I love you.”_

_“I love you too.” She leaned forward, kissing her throat and drawing her tongue up along the curve of her jaw. She tasted like salt and – less sexy – like expensive perfume. Evelynn’s nose wrinkled and she dropped her head to suck a mark against the inside of Ahri’s breast. She could hide it here, and the salty taste filling her mouth would be better than the taste of perfume. A groan fell from Ahri’s lips at the action._

_Evelynn took her time, in no hurry to end this so soon. She’d promised to make Ahri stupid and sometimes the only way to do that was to reduce her to a begging, crying mess, pawing at her with no finesse. She heard Ahri’s breathing go steadily more ragged, her hands tugging none too gently at any part of her Ahri could reach. She scraped her teeth over the curve of Arhi’s breast, her fingers sliding over her hip bones, along the crease of her thigh, back up to each of her ribs. She knew she was being cruel – but no one had ever accused Evelynn of being a nice woman._

_Ahri was starting to sweat, the sheen of it impossibly alluring in the shitty lighting of the bathroom. Or, Evelynn admitted to herself, maybe she was just smitten. She was flushed, her pupils blown, her mouth parted around the breaths seeming to tear their way out of Ahri’s pretty mouth. Evelynn leaned forward, nipping Ahri’s lower lip with her teeth and catching her mouth in a kiss again. It was sloppy, unrestrained. Evelynn had to wipe her mouth as she pulled away._

_“Eve,” Ahri breathed, hands fisting in the material of Evelynn’s dress, “Please.”_

_Humming deep in her chest, Evelynn leaned forward, kissing up Ahri’s jaw until her lips rested against the shell of her ear. “When I’m ready. Be good.”_

_The moan Ahri let out sounded more like a sob. She tugged at Evelynn’s dress harder, without grace. Good, she was getting close to where Evelynn wanted her. Evelynn pressed a kiss to the shell of Ahri’s ear, dropping her head to lavish her breasts with more attention. Her hands kept up their slow stroking across exposed skin. She used her left hand to squeeze one of Ahri’s breasts, closing her mouth over the nipple of that same breast. Ahri let out a ragged gasp, one of her hands flying up to tangle in Evelynn’s hair. She flicked her tongue over her nipple, working it into a stiff peak before she closed her lips around it and sucked._

_Ahri’s face screwed up at the stimulation and she tilted her head back against the tile. Evelynn let her enjoy the feeling for a moment before releasing her with a pop. She licked her lips, feeling a little flushed herself. She swallowed hard, eyeing her other breast. She moved her mouth over to hover over it, leaving her left hand cupping Ahri’s right breast. “Open your mouth,” she breathed against Ahri’s skin._

_Nearly immediately, Ahri obeyed, and Evelynn felt a rush of power so strong it nearly made her swoon. She pressed her thumb to Ahri’s tongue, making a low noise of displeasure as Ahri made to close her mouth around it. She stopped, keeping her jaw loose for her. “Good girl,” she praised, feeling the full-body shudder she got in response. She wet the pad of her thumb against Ahri’s tongue, using it to keep Ahri’s right nipple stiff and occupied as Evelynn busied her mouth with her left._

_Ahri grunted, not even bothering to keep herself quiet anymore. Good. That was a good sign that Evelynn was making good on her promise. She left Ahri’s left breast with a similar pop, snagging Ahri’s chin with her right hand and looking her square in the face. She smiled, soft, indulgent, at what she found. Ahri groaned at the sight, leaning forward and sinking her teeth into the curve of Evelynn’s shoulder. Hissing, Evelynn’s head snapped back, the pain sending a surge of arousal through her so strong that she was liable to bend Ahri over the sink and fuck her into next week._

_“Fucking_ shit _, Ahri.”_

_A muffled groan was all she got in response._

_“Up.” She tapped the side of her face. Ahri loosened her jaw and let her head fall back against the wall._

_She tapped her left leg too, and Ahri wrapped it around her right hip. She kept her stable, her left hand wrapped around the back of her thigh. “Help me out here,” she breathed against the curve of Ahri’s cheek. She pressed her index and middle finger against Ahri’s lips._

_Ahri responded with gusto, closing her lips around Evelynn’s fingers and taking them deep into her mouth, nearly down her throat. Only Evelynn’s grumbled warning kept her in check. Evelynn let Ahri curl her tongue about her fingers, let her bite at the pads of them. She looked on, adoration shining in her eyes as she kissed her cheek. “Good girl,” she praised again, chuckling at the broken moan that was muffled behind Ahri’s closed lips._

_She pulled her fingers free, leaving Ahri’s panting mouth and kissing the curve of her jaw. She pressed her fingers up and between Ahri’s thighs, her breath leaving her in a singular whoosh as she noticed just how wet Ahri was. She didn’t comment on it, just let loose a small, involuntary whimper as she ran her fingers along silken heat. Ahri’s whole body jerked at the first brush of Evelynn’s fingers against her clit. Evelynn couldn’t blame her. She’d have been snarling to be fucked at this point. She pressed her weight forward, pinning Ahri to the wall for when her knees inevitably gave out. She licked her lips, easing her fingers inside her girlfriend. There was no resistance at all – Ahri was worked up enough to take far more than her fingers, truth be told._

_Ahri’s body melted as Evelynn worked her fingers in, her eyes rolling back in her head. Evelynn watched in fascination, adoration, and affection swelling in her chest. Her legs went a little wobbly and Evelynn laughed, tapping Ahri’s rear with her left hand. “Don’t fall over on me_ gumiho. _”_

_Ahri just grunted in response, tilting her head back and exposing her throat. Evelynn ached to lean forward and bite it, but she knew she’d be in trouble later if she did. Now though, she was pretty sure Ahri would let her do anything she wanted. She compromised, leaning forward and pressing her lips to Ahri’s throat instead, a gentle, consistent pressure. She felt her swallow against her lips. Evelynn hummed to herself, thrusting her fingers once, testing._

_Ahri shuddered and groaned, bearing down on the pressure. She smiled into the curve of Ahri’s throat. Good. Evelynn thrust again, curling her fingers to press against where she_ knew _would make white-hot sparks dance down Ahri’s spine. She was rewarded with a cry, high and keening. Anyone walking by the bathroom would know for sure what they were doing, but Evelynn didn’t care. Caring about that shit was Ahri’s thing and Ahri was making the noise, so she wouldn’t be blamed for it._

_She kept at it, the rhythm building naturally until Ahri started really slipping down the wall where she wasn’t supported. Her spine went jelly, her upper body sagging to the right. Evelynn paused, getting a truly scandalized cry in response as she gently pressed Ahri upright again. “Hold here,” she told her, taking the time to loop Ahri’s arms over her shoulders, “Don’t fall over.” She pressed her wet fingers into her own mouth, sucking the taste of Ahri off them with a delighted hum. Ahri watched, flushed and speechless, her mouth hanging open. Evelynn felt another dizzying rush of power._

_She worked her fingers back inside, building the rhythm again and swallowing every groan and high keening cry Ahri graced her with. “Okay baby,” she murmured in her ear, “Go ahead. Touch yourself. Let’s make you stupid.”_

_A huff was all that Ahri could manage, but she shoved her right hand down between her legs, circling her clit while Evelynn curled her fingers just so inside her. Evelynn watched Ahri’s face screw up against the pleasure, watched tears flood her eyes. Her legs started to shake and a whine clawed its way from her chest. She hit her head against the wall, her hips jumping. It was a lot, Evelynn knew, that white-hot pressure. She felt the rush of fluid before Ahri made any noise. “Mm, there we go,” she praised._

_Ahri whined high in her throat, the whine tapering off to guttural grunts as she chased the high she tilted her head forward resting against Evelynn’s shoulder as the rhythmic squeezing of her inner muscles eased. Evelynn remained silent, carefully easing Ahri’s left leg back down to the ground and brushing soft kisses across the lines of her shoulders._

_“How we feeling?” she asked after a beat._

_Hazy blue eyes peered up at her, Ahri bringing her right hand up to slap clumsily at Evelynn’s face. She was trying to be sweet, she was just too out of it still. Evelynn grinned, trapping her hand and pressing a kiss to the pads of her fingers._

_It took her a few minutes, but Ahri eventually sighed against Evelynn’s shoulder, kissing the jut of her collar bone as she looked up, eyes clear once more. “Fucking hell, Eve.”_

_“You’re welcome,” she said, smug. “That praise kink always gets you.”_

_Ahri went bright red and slapped ineffectually at Evelynn’s chest. “Oh, shut up.”_

***

Evelynn awoke with a start, something tugging at her side as she jerked in surprise. Blinking, she looked around an unfamiliar room, filled with unfamiliar beeping.

Her brows furrowed, and she tried to move her right hand to rub at _exceedingly_ uncomfortable spots on her torso. She could move it, but she was attached to so many wires that she wondered if it was worth it. Hospital, she figured which – oh. Oh, that was bad.

Blinking blearily, Evelynn pressed the call nurse button, waiting impatiently until they showed up. The nurse was an older woman, kind-looking. “What happened?” she asked, impatient.

She explained – an overdose. Not surprising, considering the shit night and the need for the high. Evelynn was already itching for the next hit. Still though, this one was different. She’d nearly died, the uncomfortable spots on her torso burnt from a defibrillator. That woke her up in a big fucking way – bigger even than Ahri leaving her. She had to get her shit together. She _had_ to. Otherwise, she was going to die. And though Evelynn knew her life wasn’t worth shit right now, she didn’t want to die. “Alright,” she said gruffly when the nurse was finished, “I think I need help.”

“You think?” the nurse replied dryly, getting a cold glare in response.

“I don’t have any money,” Evelynn mused, mostly to herself, drumming her fingers anxiously against her thigh, “A good rehab is out of the question. Fuck.”

She let her head fall back against the pillow. She couldn’t do this without help. She knew that. The pull of the drug was too strong this time, and she didn’t have Ahri anymore. That sent a harsh pang through her chest, followed by blind rage. Ahri _left_ her. What was she supposed to do now? On instinct, she reached for her phone, sniffing back angry tears. She had to do something – work it out somehow. She needed to see how much money she had in her bank account. Even twenty bucks could get her something.

She keyed in her password, her eyes widening at the amount that was in there. There was no way she had that much in savings. She had a nasty idea of who had put it there but…fuck it. Evelynn wasn’t above a handout or charity right now. Maybe it was Ahri’s last fucking parting gift. ‘Here, have some heroin money!’

Evelynn pressed her mouth into a thin line, squeezing the phone so tight her knuckles turned white. Well – fuck her. She was going to get out of this. She was going to get out of this and get clean and prove Ahri wrong. If Evelynn held on to the anger, maybe she wouldn’t have to deal with the heartbreak. So yeah. Fuck Ahri. Taking a deep breath, wincing at the pull of the hospital gown against the burn of the shock, Evelynn looked the nurse in the face, turning her phone in her direction. “I need help,” she repeated.

She picked a rehab center as far away from Seoul as she could. South Africa seemed nice. If she was going to take Ahri’s bullshit charity money, then she was going to _take_ Ahri’s bullshit charity money. She didn’t need to see Ahri’s face plastered everywhere during her recovery. She didn’t know how big K-Pop was in South Africa, but she was willing to bet it wasn’t as big and all-encompassing as it was in Seoul.

She shook her way through the first week, the withdrawal hitting her hard and fast. She sat wrapped in the rehab bed, sweating and crying as she hurled over the side. It was terrible. She hated Ahri all the more during it, almost as much as she hated herself. But she’d done it before. She had quit and gotten clean and she was _going_ to do it again. For good this time. For herself as much as to spite Ahri and her bullshit.

It wasn’t easy, but Evelynn fucking _did_ it. She survived on pure spite and stubbornness until she made heroin addiction her fucking bitch. Granted, she allowed, she was still in a controlled environment – there was no telling how she’d react once she was out. But she wasn’t going to do anything. She was clear-headed enough to know better now. The itch behind her eyes when she thought about it was still there, but she didn’t feel like she was going to die without it anymore. She accepted the thirty days clean chip with as much grace as she could, flipping it up and catching it in her palm.

She wasn’t considered ready to leave yet, though, and Evelynn didn’t blame them. She’d nearly fucking died, ended up in the ICU, had been dumped after a relationship spanning ten years. She had a _problem_ and she needed to learn how to fucking handle it before she could be trusted to be outside a controlled environment. In short, she needed to get her fucking shit together. Still, though, Evelynn persisted. She accepted her sixty-day, then ninety-day clean chip. The rehab center let her leave. Gave her the okay to do so.

After three months, Evelynn actually felt ready to. The itch remained, it always would, but she could ignore it. Begrudgingly, she privately thanked Ahri and her bullshit handout money. Without it, Evelynn was pretty sure she would be dead. She got the best care available because her ex was as rich as she was. Whatever. Fuck her. She still left.

Evelynn left the rehab center, unsure where to head from here. She’d get an apartment in the city, she thought – still on Ahri’s coin, but not for long. She would find something to do and make her own fucking money. She didn’t _need_ to be a charity case anymore. She was talented enough to make it on her own. The first thing she did was buy some new clothes and get her fucking hair cut. She felt more like herself once that was done.

She didn’t feel like a charity case anymore, and Evelynn stared down at her chips as she wandered blindly around the South African streets. Apartment shopping was next, and then, she supposed, wrinkling her nose, was job hunting. She needed some way to pay for her shit. Sighing, Evelynn went to tuck the chips in her pockets, obscenely proud of the otherwise useless pieces of plastic.

She ran into something solid, bouncing off and ending up scattered over the dusty pavement. The chips scattered around and Evelynn felt a surge of panic so strong it made her head spin. She groped blindly for them, fingers closing over one and clutching on to it like a lifeline.

“Oh! I’m so sorry!” a female voice spoke in English, accented as most of the people here were, “I didn’t see you!”

Evelynn scoffed, snarling as she looked around, snatching another of the chips and pressing them to her chest. “Oh, sure, right, like you just _didn’t see_ –” Evelynn looked up and saw – legs. Oh, and more legs. And then even _more_ legs. Then, abs. And then, oh good, pretty face. Very pretty face. Very pretty face holding her ninety-day chip with a furrowed brow as she looked down at her.

Oh.

Oh _no._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO sorry to LOL players that I got my grimy little hands on these characters. Hopefully it was still enjoyable despite me just fucking around. All I know is girl hot. I have no upload schedule just fyi -- stuff enters my gremlin brain and it just comes out so just stay tuned for some more lmao. Feel free to leave comment/kudos if you want! OH, also, this is the last of the heavy drug use imagery, just so yall know.


	2. Kai'sa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Before she could tell herself it was a bad idea, Evelynn reached out, closing both hands over Kai’Sa’s retreating wrist. It stopped Kai’Sa short, her eyebrows climbing to her hairline as she stared pointedly between their point of contact and Evelynn’s face._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know they have canon heights and Ka'sa is 5'6 (167 cm) but mmmmm, no. She's a giant in my own brain so imagine her as like...5'10 (177 cm) lmao. For reference, Eve is about 5'4 (162 cm) in my head. Ahri 5'3 (160 cm), a shade short of 5'4, Akali 5'3. Unbeta'd all mistakes are my own, etc etc. This one ran the fuck away from me word count wise xoxo Just take more of my garbage.

Evelynn stared up at her for far too long a moment, feeling a flush climb up her neck. Her pulse pounded in her ears, eyes zeroing in on that offending ninety-day chip.

“I’m sorry,” the woman repeated, holding her hand out to help Evelynn up off the ground. Evelynn did not take it, feeling distinctly rattled. She cursed, pushing herself up and dusting herself off with as much grace as she could muster.

“Whatever,” she grumbled, eyeing the chip in the other woman’s hand openly.

She blinked, brow furrowing as her fingers curled back over her palm. She held her other hand out toward Evelynn, proffering the chip. “Uh…here?”

Evelynn just grunted in response, snatching it from her hand and tucking it protectively into the pocket of her jeans. She avoided the woman’s gaze, feeling a little embarrassed despite herself. She wasn’t _ashamed_ of her recovery. She just hadn’t expected to be faced with the ordeal of people finding out about it quite so soon after being released. An awkward silence descended, and Evelynn glanced sharply up, surprised to find the other woman hadn’t gone away.

“You’re not from around here, are you?” she asked, voice lilting over her words. The accent, damn her, was attractive.

“What gave it away?” Evelynn drawled, brows pinching as she warily studied her.

“Oh, I don’t know,” she laughed, “Everything? Your accent though, mostly. Where are you from?”

Evelynn clenched her jaw, wishing that she were taller. Her glare didn’t feel nearly as effective when leveled at the giant in front of her. “Where do you think?” she snapped, annoyed.

A raised eyebrow, then a grin filled with too many teeth followed her abysmal mood. “I don’t know. That’s why I asked, you see.”

Evelynn was pretty sure the strength of her glare could curdle milk. But the giant seemed unperturbed, content to look at her with an annoyingly attractive smirk on her annoyingly attractive face. Evelynn didn’t _need_ this right now. She didn’t need to thirst over some South African woman when she needed to focus on her own shit. She didn’t need to thirst over some South African woman and then _also_ feel a confusing jumble of emotions over Ahri in the process. Fucking Ahri.

It was the thought of her ex that spurred Evelynn into speech. “Minnesota, originally.”

The giant’s eyes squinted and she seemed to be thinking. Evelynn didn’t throw her a bone. “USA?” she asked after a beat, not sounding incredibly confident.

“Mm,” was Evelynn’s only answer.

“Where next?”

Evelynn sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Seoul, when I was still a kid – where is this going? Why do you care? Why are you asking?”

The giant shrugged, placing her hand on one cocked hip. “I don’t know. I just do. I just am. I’m Kai’sa.”

Evelynn’s eyes narrowed and she pursed her lips. She didn’t trust this giant of a woman. Not really, anyway. People always wanted something. “Evelynn,” she grumped out in response.

Kai’sa smiled, a slow, delighted-looking thing that lit her enter face up. Evelynn felt like she’d been punched in the chest at the sight. Fucking… _women_. Evelynn glared in response, crossing her arms over her chest, closing herself off both physically and emotionally.

“Well,” Kai’Sa chirped, reaching out to brush some dust of Evelynn’s shoulder, “It was nice to meet you, even if you’re the embodiment of an angry cat.”

Evelynn froze at the casual touch, feeling the muscles of her shoulders lock up. She hadn’t been touched in a while – even before rehab – and it was suddenly a _lot_. She bit the inside of her cheek hard before she could do something ridiculous, like ask her to keep touching her. Kai’sa grinned at her again, a lopsided, charming thing. “See you around.”

Evelynn turned to watch her go, blinking as her shoulders slowly relaxed. She pressed her lips into a thin line, missing the presence despite herself. Scoffing, she tore her eyes away from mile-long legs and strutted in the opposite direction. She glanced over her shoulder, sure Kai’sa was going to look back.

She didn’t.

***

Apartment shopping was a bitch and a half. Nothing was jumping out at her and she needed to be careful to not buy out of budget. She had Ahri’s money, but she wasn’t going to be using it forever. She was staying in a cheap motel for now, which suited her just fine. Well – no. It _didn’t_ , she’d always had expensive taste, but it would work until she could get back there. All Evelynn needed right now was a shower, a bed, and somewhere to put her meager amount of shit.

She was parked in some coffee shop near the motel. She couldn’t bring herself to consistently drink the sludge that the motel itself provided. This place was overpriced as all get out, but at least it was nice and the vibe was a lot less gross. Evelynn twirled her coffee cup on the table, the rasp of the paper dragging across the wood a pleasant background noise as she scrolled through her phone. Job hunting was also a bitch. Nothing paid worth a shit.

With a grumpy growl, Evelynn took to social media, scrolling through her feed, bored out of her skull. That was the worst part, she figured. She’d alienated herself so much that no one knew or cared where she was, and even if they did, they weren’t reaching out. She didn’t have anyone to talk to, or hang out with, or bother. She missed bothering people. The only people she could turn to were in her support group, and most of them at least had family around. She was the weirdo who had elected to enroll in rehab way far away from any support system.

She found a photo of Ahri, one from her personal account. She was smiling, arm thrown around one of their mutual friends. Evelynn stared for a minute, familiar bitterness and rage simmering beneath her skin. Clicking on her display name, Evelynn navigated to her page, pressing unfollow with a vicious twist of her mouth. She wanted to erase Ahri altogether, and not only because staring at her face was bad for her recovery. Fucking _women_.

The bell above the door jangled and Evelynn glanced up out of habit. By some sick twist of fate the giant, _Kai’sa_ , she reminded herself, strode through the doors, grin bright and open as she approached the counter. She heard her speak in a language Evelynn didn’t understand, not bothering to hide her stare. She kind of wanted Kai’sa to notice her, to come over and keep her company. Evelynn was just so fucking _bored_ and at least Kai’sa was interesting.

She made no move to garner her attention, however. Making friends was never an easy thing for her. She was too withdrawn, too cold, too angry and mean. It was even worse now, closed off from people as she’d made herself. Friends didn’t come naturally to Evelynn. She was too difficult and she knew it. Instead, she just watched, taking particular interest in how Kai’sa couldn’t seem to stand still. She was always moving, bouncing on the balls of her feet, drumming a beat against her thighs, tapping her fingers against the polished countertop. She couldn’t sit fucking still. Evelynn spared a thought for how god damn annoying that would be to live with and was _finally_ able to tear her eyes away.

She took a sip of her coffee, lipstick leaving a bright red ring around the rim. Kai’sa still didn’t seem to notice her, which suited Evelynn just fine. _Lie_. Narrowing her eyes at her own inner voice, Evelynn told herself in no uncertain terms to shove it and went back to steadfastly ignoring the giant in the corner. She opened up the job search app again, closing out of Ahri’s Instagram and swiping it away. She had to find something. It was a matter of pride at this point, and Evelynn knew she was proud. It was a big reason she hadn’t even bothered to text Ahri to let her know she was alive.

She scrolled through pages of shitty jobs, eyes drooping despite the caffeine. She was so fucking bored. She tossed her phone away from herself, sending it clattering across the tabletop with an annoyed sigh. She tilted herself back in the chair, resting on the back legs as she tilted her head up toward the ceiling. She rocked gently, staring at the imperfections in the paint. She was so bored she was watching proverbial paint dry. Jesus fucking Christ. She let herself fall back to the floor with a clatter of wood, going to push herself up and take a walk or something. She toyed idly with the idea of going to the beach before shaking herself free of the idea. Her skin was too fair for _that_ to be a good idea.

Evelynn stood regardless, kicking the chair back underneath the table. She snagged her half-empty coffee cup, looping her purse over one shoulder as she turned. She ran abruptly into something solid again, knocking her glasses askew.

Laughter greeted her angry hiss and Evelynn felt two warm hands anchor themselves on her shoulders. “We’ve got to stop meeting like this. Hi.”

Evelynn glared upward, fixing her glasses, feeling her cheeks heat. Stupid. “Maybe if you’d watch where you’re going, we wouldn’t _have_ to meet like this.”

Kai’sa snorted, rolling her eyes. “Oh _please_. You ran into me both times.”

Evelynn didn’t bother to dignify it with a response, simply shrugging off her hold and crossing her arms over her chest. Evelynn watched a dark shadow cross Kai’sa’s brow. “Well,” she said, sounding clipped and annoyed, “I see you’re still an oversized angry feline, so I guess I’ll just go.”

Before she could tell herself it was a bad idea, Evelynn reached out, closing both hands over Kai’sa’s retreating wrist. It stopped Kai’sa short, her eyebrows climbing to her hairline as she stared pointedly between their point of contact and Evelynn’s face. Evelynn released her a moment later, dropping her wrist like it burned her. “I – ” she wrung her hands, clenching her teeth. “Sorry.” She grits the word out, chewing over it like it was broken glass. She didn’t apologize, not really. Maybe that was part of her fucking issues.

It seemed to work okay on Kai’sa though. She went loose again, expression guarded. “Yeah. It’s okay.”

An awkward silence closed over them and Evelynn sighed harshly, lamenting the fact that she used to be _good_ at this. She shifted her weight, inwardly remarking on the irony that now _she_ was the one who couldn’t stay still. “Yeah. Good. Awesome.” She smoothed a hand through her hair, going to slip past the giant.

Kai’sa’s hand closed over her shoulder as she moved, a warm, gentle pressure that nearly made Evelynn’s knees buckle. This level of physical touch was _so much_. It didn’t use to be like this. Ahri used to drape herself over Evelynn’s frame like she fucking lived there, it wasn’t like she’d never been touched before. Maybe it was just that she _missed_ it for the past three months. Oh, hell, who was she kidding? The past six months. It wasn’t like her and Ahri were in an incredible place before Ahri up and abandoned her

Kai’sa moved up next to her, grinning down at her as she fell into step next to her, dropping her hand. Evelynn missed it the moment it was gone. “What are you doing?” she asked, carefully studying the giant next to her.

“I don’t know. You look like you could use the company or something. I’ve got a sixth sense about these things.”

Evelynn fixed her with a dry, unimpressed look. “A sixth sense?”

“Yeah! You seem bored and it doesn’t look like people are clamoring to hang out with you, so you know. You get me instead.”

Evelynn’s eyes narrowed, irritation lashing at her chest once again. She swallowed it down though, for some reason resistant to making Kai’Sa needlessly upset. “Lucky me,” she said dryly, walking with no real destination in mind.

Kai’sa laughed, looking down and studying Evelynn’s profile. Evelynn could feel it. “Do you even know where you’re going? Where are you staying, anyway? Have you gotten a job yet? I know recovery can be a pain, especially without a support system – ”

“Jesus,” Evelynn hissed out, tossing her hands up, “How do you even _know_ all this shit?”

“I picked up your chip, remember? I pay attention.”

“Oh, wonderful. Lucky me. I’m staying at a motel right now, apartment shopping. No, I don’t have a job. Recovery is a pain in the fucking ass, especially when I’m bored to tears and nothing else even seems remotely fun.” She paused, blinking, and looked around her. “And no. I don’t know where I’m going.”

Kai’sa snort laughed, which really had no business being as charming as it was. “Thought so. C’mon, follow me.”

She took Evelynn’s hand in a loose grip, turning on her heel and walking them off in the opposite direction. Evelynn supposed she should probably be a little more concerned about being murdered by some giant in an obscure South African alley but…whatever. Kai’sa didn’t really seem the murdering type. But, hell, Evelynn had been wrong before. She’d been wrong about a lot of things.

They walked in relative silence for a while, Kai’sa humming to some phantom beat in her own head. It should have been fucking annoying. It wasn’t. Kai’sa caught them a cab, ushering Evelynn in first and speaking rapidly to the driver in the same language Evelynn didn’t understand – Afrikaans if she had to guess.

She didn’t even bother trying to track how long the ride took. She just set her forehead against the glass, watching the blur of vegetation fly by. Kai’sa didn’t break the silence, just held her hand and fidgeted. She _really_ couldn’t sit still, it seemed. It was so _surreal_. Thirty minutes ago she was being a massive bitch to the giant beside her and now she was sharing a cab and holding her hand. Kai’sa must have had a serious masochistic streak or some shit.

Kai’sa tugged her out of the cab once it stopped, paying the fare and moving through the space like she owned it. Evelynn had to nearly jog to keep up. “Some of us don’t have obscenely long legs, Kai’sa, wait up,” she groused, swatting at the tree branches that fell into her face.

Miraculously, Kai’sa did. She slowed her speed, let Evelynn fall into step beside her. Evelynn took the time, and the slower pace, to take a look around. The area was nice, she could hear crashing waves somewhere in the distance. They were in a quaint garden looking area. It looked residential. But surely no. Kai’Sa wasn’t nuts enough to take some recovering addict to her home, right? Surely not. If she _was_ that nuts, Evelynn was going to have to have some words for her. She was fine, _obviously_ – a great person to bring home, even, but some other creep might not be.

“Where…are we?” she asked carefully, lips pursing as she braced herself for the inevitable.

Kai’sa paused, twirling on her heel and pressing her back to a door. “You’ll see. Do you have a problem with dogs? Well – animals, really?”

Evelynn narrowed her eyes, trying and failing to search for the trap in that sentence. “Uh…no? I can’t say I do.” They were dirty and she’d never thought much about them when she was dating Ahri, but whatever. They were there, they existed. She didn’t _hate_ them. She just didn’t give a shit about them.

With another goofy, lopsided smile, Kai’sa turned, unlocking the door – and oh god. It really was her fucking house. Evelynn gaped at her back, eyes tracing the lines of surprisingly broad shoulders. There had to be muscle definition there, there just had to be. She spared a thought for what she did that made her look like that. Probably something annoyingly athletic. Kai’sa seemed like that bitch.

“How do you know I’m not a serial killer?” she asked, clenching her jaw and crossing her arms over her chest.

Kai’sa paused, looking back over her shoulder. “You’re like two feet tall and scrawny. I think I could take you.”

Evelynn felt herself bow up, which, really, was absurd. Kai’sa wasn’t wrong. She was short compared to the literal giraffe in front of her and, worse, heroin had robbed her of all her muscle definition. “You could _not_ take me,” Evelynn spit out, _knowing_ damn well that Kai’sa could.

With a large, put upon sigh, Kai’sa turned, striding forward, pressing her index finger into Evelynn’s chest and _pushing_.

Evelynn’s world reeled, and she threw her arms out to the sides. They pinwheeled comically and she rocked back on her heels, face flushing violently red. She caught her balance, hands balling into fists at her side. Embarrassment ran hot through her bloodstream and Evelynn took a few steps back from Kai’sa, expression pinched. “The fuck was that for?” she bit out, wrapping her arms around her torso.

Kai’sa’s eyebrows climbed up her forehead, turning around and moving to her closed door again. “To prove a point,” she said quietly, shooting an apologetic glance over her shoulder.

That eased Evelynn’s tense posture. She wasn’t actually all that used to people feeling bad when they’d done something to upset her. She was always just expected to deal with it. Once again, probably the root of all her fucking issues. “I could sneak into your house and kill you while you slept. Then that wouldn’t work.”

Kai’sa snorted, tossing the door open and letting a fucking zoo run out to greet her. “Yeah, good luck with that,” she said, making direct contact with Evelynn to further prove her point.

There were four dogs and a fucking horse. Evelynn stopped short, mouth hanging comically open as she studied the scene in front of her. “Kai’sa, that’s not a dog. That’s – that’s not a dog.” The horse in question turned to look at her, fuzzy ears perking and tail slowly wagging. He stood with a comical sounding _boof_ and padded in her direction. His head came up to Evelynn’s ribs. No dog had any right to be that big. “That’s not a _dog_ ,” Evelynn repeated, voice turning a touch shrill.

“His name is Zeus.”

Evelynn stared openly, body jostling as the rest of the dogs took notice of her. They sniffed at her, tails wagging as they bumped into her. The fucking horse just sat, waiting his turn. Once the rest of them grew bored, he stood again, tail wagging as he approached her. He nudged her limp hand with his head, staring up at her with big brown eyes, beseeching. Evelynn gave him a cautious pat, eyes wide. It wasn’t a dog. It wasn’t.

She looked up to see Kai’sa watching her, eyes flicking between her and the horse, _Zeus,_ as if she were waiting for something. Whatever she saw seemed to satisfy her, and she stood aside, waving Evelynn inside and rattling off the rest of the dogs’ names as she did so. Evelynn remembered none of them, too busy staring at the fucking horse.

They ended up tucked on opposite ends of Kai’sa’s couch. Kai’sa had cooked, passing Evelynn a plate without needing to be asked. It was, arguably, the best thing Evelynn had ever eaten in her entire life. Though, that might have just been because she’d eaten pure garbage for the past, like, year. Neither her nor Ahri cooked, and rehab wasn’t known for its excellent selection. Evelynn didn’t even want to _think_ about the shitty motel food. She’d refused to eat it, electing to go with fast food – _fast food_ , for god’s sakes – instead.

The silence was comfortable, strangely, and Evelynn studied Kai’sa’s profile as she worked on curbing the drowsiness the full stomach gave her. She’d gathered that the other woman was a little weird, preferring the company of animals to people, it seemed. There weren’t a lot of pictures of Kai’sa and her family, or friends littering the walls. It was mostly dogs. There were cats too, but Evelynn hadn’t seen them yet. She wondered, distantly, why the fuck Kai’sa was cutting her slack, giving her the time of day. Instead of asking, she just pulled her legs up, sitting cross-legged on her end of the couch and facing Kai’sa head-on. “Why do you have so many dogs?”

Kai’sa paused, licking her fork and setting it down on her plate with a clatter of porcelain. “There’s a lot of strays that come around here. I don’t like seeing them without a place to go.” She fell silent for a beat, long enough that Evelynn opened her mouth to speak again. Kai’sa beat her to it. “Everybody needs somebody. Even strays.”

Evelynn couldn’t say she related, but whatever. She’d already established that Kai’sa was weird.

“You can stay here if you want. Get out of the motel. Get back on your feet. We can split the rent and you can feed the dogs when I’m at the studio.”

Evelynn reeled back as if punched, eyes wide and breath leaving her chest in a singular whoosh. “Jesus – what?!”

Kai’sa patiently waited for her freak out to end, blinking deep, vibrant blue eyes – of course they were fucking blue. “I just – you don’t have people and you’re kind of cranky. You grouse about needing a job so I kind of figure the money for the motel is a lot right now. And… even though you’re cranky, and mean, and the grouchiest person I’ve ever met…I’m kind of rooting for you. Recovery’s a bitch. You shouldn’t have to do it alone. So – stay here. Split the rent with me. Get your shit together.”

Something warm and unfamiliar unfurled in Evelynn’s chest as Kai’sa spoke. She didn’t _want_ to do it alone, but she’d accepted the fact that she was going to. But here Kai’sa was, extending an olive branch to a stranger who was not nice to her – helping her. Jesus, what a foreign fucking concept. Evelynn glanced around at the stray dogs – well taken care of and happy. Everyone needed somebody, Kai’sa had said.

Warily, Evelynn let her tense posture ease, settling back into her end of the couch. “I could still be a serial killer,” she said, watching Kai’sa with a guarded expression.

A ghost of a smile passed over Kai’sa face and she unfurled her stupid long legs, standing to her full, impressive height. She plucked Evelynn’s plate from her numb hands, stacking it atop her own and balancing it in her right hand. She braced her left against the arm of the couch, next to Evelynn’s body. She leaned her weight upon that same hand, leaning into Evelynn’s space, her hair falling over her shoulder in a singular dark curtain. She met Evelynn’s startled gaze, sinfully full lips quirking at whatever she saw. “My dogs will kill you.”

Evelynn glanced over at the horse, watching him yawn at exactly that moment, sharp canines flashing in the light.

_“Well_ ,” she thought, _“That’s fair.”_

***

It was about two months into living with Kai’sa that the first PAWS hit. Evelynn had been using so consistently for so fucking long that the rehab center had warned her of this possibility. No, not possibility. Probability. Addiction and its bullshit fallout didn’t end just because Evelynn didn’t want to scare a girl off.

Though, she admitted, Kai’sa had been very patient, considering. She dealt with Evelynn’s bullshit, even though for the first month of living together they wanted to kill each other. They learned to live with each other’s quirks though. They were in an uneasy partnership. Kai’sa wasn’t the most open of individuals, but Evelynn wasn’t either. Evelynn just sat, drowning in her attraction and way too much fucking dog hair, while Kai’sa flitted in and out of the space, leaving half-naked and coming back half-naked and sweaty. Evelynn didn’t bother asking what she did, which was probably a failing. But still. Kai’sa was _there_ , and that was more than Evelynn could say for anyone else.

The anxiety part of PAWS was worse than the insomnia. Evelynn had spent far too many sleepless nights for a little sleep deprivation to really bother her. The anxiety, however, was new. She fucking _hated_ it. She didn’t know how to deal with the pressure in her chest, the shaking in her hands, the feeling as if the world was going to close in on her and swallow her whole. She couldn’t just stay in the small guest bed. She needed to _move_ to alleviate the distinct feeling of drowning. She squeezed her eyes shut, clenching her teeth hard enough that she could hear her jaw creak.

Evelynn kicked the covers off, scrambling out of the bed and grabbing her glasses off the bedside table. She slipped them on, the world coming into sudden, sharp clarity. She couldn’t decide if that made the anxiety worse or better. Logically, she knew nothing was wrong, but her body and brain didn’t want to listen to the logical part. They both just knew something was _wrong_ , but weren’t cognizant enough to tell Evelynn _what._ She shivered, despite the warm night air. Evelynn checked the clock, grimacing at the early hour, and, after a moment of deliberation, snagged the comforter and wrapped it around her shoulders.

She slinked out of the room, the blanket trailing behind her like a poor man’s cape. She shot a nervous glance to Kai’sa’s door, biting the inside of her cheek. It was closed, quiet, no light leaking out from the cracks in the doorframe. She, thank god, seemed blissfully unaware and asleep. Evelynn breathed a sigh of relief, not sure she wanted to have that conversation ever, but especially not tonight. The support group kept telling her she needed to talk about her shit, but Evelynn didn’t want to. Because she didn’t want to, she locked it up in a box and filed it away for future meltdowns over benign shit. She didn’t need to talk about it. She could handle her emotional baggage without burdening Kai’sa with it. More and more lately, she found herself missing Ahri. At least Ahri listened – had to listen. She was dating her and sleeping with her regularly, so she had to listen to Evelynn bitch. Kai’sa didn't Plus, she didn’t deserve it. It was no real secret that she was a better person than Evelynn was.

Her hands twisted, a near-constant motion that she couldn’t seem to stop. She shivered, pulling the blanket tighter about her shoulders. She hated it. She hated feeling trapped in her own body. It was all she could think about – the ground felt like it was opening up around her. Her world felt tilted on its own axis, throwing everything out whack. Evelynn felt her heart rate speed and she paced harder, scratching aggressively at her forearm. A cold nose nudged that same hand and Evelynn jumped, pulling it away abruptly. She glanced down, seeing Zeus’s soft brown eyes staring through her soul. The horse had taken a distinct shine to her for some godforsaken reason. She tangled her hand in his fur, feeling distinctly better as she did so. Stupid mutt.

She closed her eyes, scratching Zeus and focusing on the soft sound of his breathing. His tail wagged weakly and Evelynn cracked an eye open to glance down at him. He stayed staring at her, mouth open and panting as she scratched at his head. The other dogs took no real notice. Two of them were in with Kai'sa, the other two laying on some of the various beds. Every time she moved their heads would pick up to glance, but upon seeing her being not Kai’sa, they lost interest. Zeus, however, stuck near her. Rubbing one tired eye, Evelynn gave him a final pat, moving toward the front door and throwing it open. Zeus moved with her, sticking close to her side. She sat upon the stoop, leaning her shoulder against the door frame. Zeus sank next to her, leaning his full body weight against her side.

Evelynn listened to the distant waves crash, feeling the anxiety lessen with the repetitive sound, and, more importantly, with the presence of the dog. Contact, she’d noticed, made her feel better no matter what was going on. She closed her eyes, shifting to rest her head against Zeus’s bulk. She wasn’t even a dog person and yet here she was, snuggling up to some horse and enjoying it. She generally preferred the cats – especially the mangy one that Kai’sa had. She was cranky and mean and swiped at Kai’sa sometimes when she wanted to pet her. She tolerated Eveylnn though, studying her through bright golden eyes and allowing affection whenever Evelynn deemed it necessary to give it. Kai’sa, for some reason, found it obscenely hilarious and called them kindred spirits.

She spent about twenty minutes listening to the ocean before she heard a door open behind her. Evelynn picked her head up from Zeus’s body, glancing over her shoulder to see Kai’sa’s door swing wide. Panic opened a pit in her stomach and she scrambled to stand. Zeus leaned more heavily into her in response, which made her stumble and fall gracelessly back on her butt. The other dogs were up in a flash, nails scrabbling against the wood of the floor.

Kai’sa exited her room, looking pale and wide-eyed and sweaty. Evelynn paused, brows furrowing, her own anxiety momentarily forgotten as she studied the woman in front of her. She heard Kai’sa take a shaky breath, watched her fingers run through hair that looked damp at the temples. Kai’sa gulped more air down, her hands shaking before her gaze fell on Evelynn. She froze, looking remarkably like a deer in the headlights. The other dogs swirled through her legs, tails wagging. Kai’sa distractedly pets them, eyes still glued to Evelynn’s face.

Evelynn stayed silent, studying Kai’sa right back. She really didn’t look that great. Evelynn had a sudden, nasty realization that maybe she wasn’t the only one dealing with emotional baggage. “It’s called Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome,” she said, speaking before she even gave herself permission to, “There’s a lot of stupid shit that can happen – it can last for up to a year after you stop using. For me – and a lot of opiate users – I get insomnia and anxiety.” And low sex drive, but she wasn’t about to spill _that_ jewel. She gestured around her, teeth clenching. Zeus rested his head on her knee, huffing out a deep sigh as he made himself comfortable. “It’s all I can fucking think about. Sorry if I woke you.” She didn’t think she _had_ woken Kai’sa, especially considering the state of her, but Evelynn wanted to give Kai’sa an out if she wanted to take it.

Kai’sa seemed to consider it, taking another shaky breath and blinking owlishly at her. “You didn’t,” she said after a brief beat of silence, “Come here.”

Evelynn stood, gently dislodging Zeus’s head from her lap and kicking the door shut. She left the comforter pooled in the entryway of the apartment, shivering. She walked forward, unsure exactly what Kai’sa wanted from her. Kai’sa stepped forward, closing the distance and wrapping her arms around Evelynn’s ribcage, pulling her in. She was damp, very obviously sweaty. Evelynn could feel her rapid breathing. She rested her forehead against Kai’sa’s collar bone, smoothing her hands over Kai’sa’s hips and letting them take cautious refuge there.

The contact was wonderful and it eased Evelynn’s own heartrate. She hugged her tighter after a beat, feeling Kai’sa take a sudden, shuddering breath against the top of her head. Her glasses were fogging, both from her own open-mouthed breathing and the heat of Kai’sa’s damp skin.

“I – have shitty dreams sometimes.”

Evelynn nodded, figuring there was a _lot_ more to that sentence that she wasn’t sure she was ready to get into right now. Or, you know, ever. She just hummed her response, stroking her fingers along the back of Kai’sa’s hips. She heard Kai’sa’s breath hitch and was tugged forward, into Kai’sa’s room. Oh. Okay.

She peeled her shirt off and Evelynn didn’t bother to look away from the sloping, gentle lines of muscle. She was pretty sure Kai’sa knew by now that Evelynn would be down if she asked. She wiggled her pajama pants down her legs too, fanning her hands over her damp skin once she was mostly naked. She glanced shyly up toward Evelynn, going a little pink in the face and turning away from her. She slipped back into her bed, bare back still facing Evelynn. Evelynn stood, indecisive, just inside Kai’sa’s room. This was new territory. She was topless and freaked out and vulnerable. Evelynn was good at exploiting vulnerabilities, not making people feel _better_ about them.

After a moment of awkwardness, Kai’sa turned to glance over her shoulder, making direct eye contact with her. “Come here,” she said quietly.

Evelynn audibly swallowed, clamoring into the bed behind Kai’sa and staring hard at the back of her shoulder. She took her glasses off, setting the room in blurry edges and indistinct shapes. It made everything a little less overwhelming. Kai’sa groped blindly behind her, swatting ineffectually at the blankets until her searching hand closed over Evelynn’s. With a singular tug, Evelynn was pressed against her back with a huff, arm wrapped around Kai’sa’s bare middle. It was fucking absurd. Kai’sa had six inches on her and yet she was trying to big spoon. Grumbling against the back of her shoulder, Evelynn scooted closer, tucking her forehead against the nape of Kai’sa’s neck and trying to be _comforting_. Stupid.

Despite feeling awkward, Evelynn had to admit that this was _nice_. Her sex drive was too low to really give a flying fuck about Kai’sa’s very nice breasts being way too close and in touching distance. Simply pressing against her was good enough for Evelynn. It eased the worst of the anxiety and she could feel the call of sleep in the heavy itch behind her eyes. She found herself nodding off, body going loose and pliable as her comfort grew. She was just about asleep when Kai’sa spoke.

“Hey Eve?”

“Mm?”

“Is this weird?”

Evelynn let her eyes blearily blink open, lashes fluttering against Kai’sa’s bare skin. Why did she have to go existential when she was just about asleep? “I mean, yeah, kinda. But it’s nice and I’ve already established that you’re a weirdo, so I don’t care.”

A watery laugh greeted her bluntness, and Kai’sa turned over, facing Evelynn head-on. Kai’sa reached out and closed her fingers behind the back of Evelynn’s head, pulling her forward and into her chest. And oh god tits. A slow ember of desire lit in the pit of Evelynn’s stomach and she made a face. A year ago, if Kai’sa had pulled her face right into her cleavage, Evelynn would be _on_ her already. The slow, weakly burning desire in her gut was just _depressing_. It killed any lingering thoughts she had and Evelynn huffed, turning her head to the side and fitting her ear against the steady thump of Kai’sa’s heart.

Fucking _women_.

***

Kai’sa was an issue. She was working her way into the fabric of Evelynn’s life, working hairline cracks in her carefully crafted emotional walls. It wasn’t brutal or precise. Kai’sa flowed over her like water, patiently wrapping her up and slipping over the same cracks until she worked her way inside. She pressed Evelynn’s broken pieces back together, taking bits and pieces of her into waiting, open hands. She kept those pieces safe, cradled in a warm embrace. It was a _problem_. After Ahri, Evelynn wasn’t sure she ever wanted to date again. She didn’t want to open up, let people inside. Yet there Kai’sa was, working her way through those high emotional walls and taking refuge somewhere inside Evelynn’s heart. She fucking hated it.

She _also_ hated how a full year after getting clean that her sex drive was back with a fucking vengeance. Living with Kai’sa didn’t make _that_ easy either. The woman was sex on legs and Evelynn was weak for it. She was so starved for it that she was highly tempted to just go down to the _idiot_ surfer boys that frequented their stretch of beach and just tug one of them into Kai’sa’s living room for a quick orgasm before kicking him out. The lure was strong. She had never had a particularly quiet sex drive. Not until recently at least.

Kai’sa was far more comfortable around her now than she had been before and Evelynn, naturally, felt the same. She supported the crappy office assistant job that Evelynn managed to snag. She supported the fact that Evelynn was designing again, leaning into her space as she did so, making suggestions and pointing out flaws from a dancer’s perspective. It actually helped, damn her. Evelynn, for her part, tried and failed to make Kai’sa dinner for when she got back from the dance studio. Kai’sa never let her live it down. So, instead, Evelynn took to walking and running with the dogs so Kai’sa didn’t have to. She did what she could for her, which, admittedly, wasn’t much.

Evelynn felt secure. She felt heard and safe. She didn’t have to use Ahri’s money anymore. She had a job, had a goal, and she had Kai’sa. She looked better too. Her muscle tone was coming back and she’d even taking to joining Kai’sa for yoga in the mornings. It was fucking dumb as hell and she ended up staring at Kai’sa more than anything else, but the breathing exercises actually helped. She was still an _addict_ , and the cravings didn’t go away just because she wanted them to. When Kai’sa wasn’t around to curl up with, Evelynn used the stupid fucking breathing techniques that she taught her to take the worst of the craving away.

It _didn’t_ take the craving for sex away though. That was something she needed to fucking handle sooner rather than later. Working out helped some. But she was hesitant to go all out, especially since she ran with the dogs. She didn’t want to tire them out too much and have to loop Zeus’s fucking horse form over her shoulders and carry his ass back home because he couldn’t keep up.

Evelynn sighed, tossing her sketchbook onto the coffee table. The noise startled the angry cat, who Evelynn had affectionately nicknamed Goblin. She was a true gremlin, making low, annoyed noises in her throat every time Evelynn dared move. She swatted at the dogs, who tolerated it with far more grace than Evelynn expected, she swatted at Kai’sa. She _tried_ swatting at Evelynn too, but that didn’t last too long. Evelynn was a gremlin herself – she knew just how to curb that bad habit. She ran her fingers over Goblin’s head, getting a grumpy yowl in response. Whatever, she was grumpy too. She was grumpy and wound up and she wanted to have sex with something. She wasn’t even fucking picky at this point. If they were human and consenting, Evelynn was willing to go there.

She heard the jingle of keys and didn’t even bother to look up when she heard Kai’sa move inside. “Hey!” she called out, and Evelynn could hear the smile in her voice, “Good news! The studio needs some new uniforms. I didn’t offer you up yet, but I figure you might like to know about it. Your designs are good and I bet they’ll pick it up. Might be some extra cash and a foot back in the door.”

Kai’sa vaulted herself over the back of the couch, bouncing on the cushions as she landed gracefully. She passed Evelynn a water bottle without needing to be asked, cracking her own and tilting her head back as she took several deep drags.

It was fucking unfair, truth be told. Kai’sa was fresh from class, which meant that the sweat had mostly dried, except for on her clothes and hair. Her hair, already dark, was even darker along her temples, her shirt sticking obscenely to the tight muscles of her stomach. Her arms were bare and Evelynn blatantly took them in, admiring the flex of muscle along her biceps. Dancing did really great things for the body, it seemed. She swallowed, mouth suddenly dry as she watched water spill out the side of Kai’sa’s mouth, dripping down and off her chin, flowing down her bared throat and settling into the dip of her collar bone.

“Fuck me, I need to get laid,” Evelynn sighed, her fingers tightening around her own water bottle, the crunch of the plastic sending Goblin up and off her lap, making low, displeased noises.

“What?” Kai’sa laughed, dropping her head and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, “Where did that come from?”

Evelynn grumbled – way too similar to the cat for her to be comfortable – but otherwise didn’t elaborate. She hadn’t even really meant to let that statement slip.

Kai’sa tilted her head, studying her openly as her fingers tapped a steady beat against the couch cushion. The saga of getting Kai’sa to sit fucking still was ongoing. “I’ll have sex with you if you want.”

Evelynn choked, rocketing up from her slouched position to bend double, coughing. “Holy – fucking – _what_?!”

Kai’sa went a little pink in the face, gracing Evelynn with one of those lopsided smiles that were endlessly fucking adorable. “I’ll have sex with you if you want,” she repeated, shrugging a shoulder.

“Fucking hell, Kai’sa, are you serious?”

“Yeah. I mean…you’ve seen me naked before, so.”

That was _different_ and they both fucking knew it. When the dreams got really bad, Kai’sa always ended up either in Evelynn’s bed or dragging Evelynn to her own. Most of the time her clothes were damp, so she’d just remove them. It was _different_. That nudity was not sexual at fucking all. Evelynn resented her a little bit for even suggesting it might be.

As if sensing it, Kai’sa winced, rubbing the back of her neck. “I’m sorry. That was a bad joke. I didn’t mean that.”

Evelynn blinked, still surprised despite herself. She didn’t hear apologies very often, but she was hearing them with Kai’sa. Kai’sa actually said sorry – even a year later.

“But seriously. I will. I’ll sleep with you if you want me to. I know you’ve got to be dying. You’re making angry cat noises.”

Evelynn felt heat punch her low in the stomach and she let out a sudden, harsh breath of air. Here was Kai’sa, sex on legs Kai’sa, offering herself freely. She could have her on the couch, right here. It wouldn’t even be _hard_. All she had to do was reach forward and tangle her fingers in that sweaty shirt and pull her in. It wouldn’t be hard. Kai’sa would kiss her back and Evelynn would force her hoarse and make her see stars. Jesus fuck. Her fingers clenched hard in her lap and Evelynn forced herself to take a deep breath, slowly letting it loose through her nose.

“You know, it takes half the fun out of it if you’re just offering to shut me up.” A ghost of a grin touched Evelynn’s lips and she looked sidelong at Kai’sa.

“Only half?” Kai’sa asked, balancing her elbow on her thigh and propping her chin in her palm.

“Only half.”

Kai’sa fell silent and Evelynn thought the game over. She was _definitely_ going to have to go lure some poor, stupid boy here in a few minutes because hooooly shit was that a lot. She reached over, craning her body to grab her sketchbook again. She unfurled her legs, plopping them in Kai’sa’s lap as she situated herself comfortably on the couch. She took broad, bold swipes with the pencil, biting the inside of her cheek as she took out some of the sexual frustration in the design itself. Something bold and eye-catching – yeah. That might work. It would draw the eye to the flex of muscle – the subtle shift of a hip. It would _work_ for Kai’sa’s dance company. Because, obviously, she was going to submit some designs. She _had_ been listening, after all.

“I’m not offering just to shut you up.”

Evelynn paused, laying the sketchbook flat and balancing the pencil on top of that. She glanced up over her glasses, relieved to find that Kai’sa wasn’t far enough away to blur out just yet. She stayed silent, watching Kai’sa’s brow furrow – her pretty face settling into something soft and contemplative. Finely sculpted brows furrowed, and Kai’sa’s teeth sank into the swell of her bottom lip. It was fucking _stupid_ and unfair, and Evelynn hated her a little bit just then. She couldn’t just _do_ that, and _say_ these things without Evelynn wanting to surge forward and bite her fucking lip herself.

“I’m offering because –” Kai’sa cleared her throat, lovely, high cheekbones going a genuinely delightful shade of red, “—because you’re _so_ nice to look at Eve, and you’ve been doing really well trying to be better and I just –” Kai’sa’s face screwed up, embarrassment forcing her hands to cover her face. When she next spoke, it was muffled. “I just really want to see you naked. Like. Really bad.”

Fuck.

Jesus Fuck.

Jesus Fucking Christ.

Evelynn dropped her sketchbook on the floor, and her glasses on the coffee table, pulling her legs from Kai’sa’s lap in favor of straddling it. She rested her weight comfortably against the woman beneath her, draping her arms over Kai’sa’s shoulders. “Yeah?” she murmured against a damp temple, fingers dragging slowly across Kai’sa’s exposed skin.

Evelynn heard her swallow and Kai’sa looked up at her, all wide eyes and blushing cheeks. “Oh boy,” she whispered, breathless.

Evelynn almost laughed. It was such an innocent thing to say despite the position, charmingly sweet. It made something weak and cold break in her chest, flooding her body with warmth. She was pretty sure she was in love with her. Like, sacrifice everything to make her happy type of in love with her. Ahri levels of in love with her. Oh boy indeed.

“Oh boy,” she teased, fingers working Kai’sa’s hair out of the ponytail. It was hopeless without a brush, tangled and sweat-slick, but whatever. They could shower together afterward. It wasn’t like Evelynn wasn’t equally messy. She bent her head, capturing Kai’sa’s parted lips with her own. Kai’sa gasped, hands flying to her hips and squeezing.

Evelynn made a small noise of contentment, desire blazing a burning hot path down her body. Kissing Kai’sa was like coming up for air. It was like she wasn’t meant to do anything else. It was like she was put here for this purpose alone. Or maybe Evelynn was just that sex-starved. Either option seemed plausible at this point. Groaning, she shifted closer in Kai’sa’s lap, tangling her fingers in her now loose hair.

For fear of freaking her out, Evelynn didn’t push past that point, lazily making out and draping herself over Kai’sa’s stupid tall form. She didn’t really expect Kai’sa to push it further on her own, but she would at least wait for some kind of cue. Moving too fast was a fucking recipe for disaster at this point. She had no idea about Kai’sa’s experience level period, much less her experience level with women. She was a fucking weirdo with few friends. Evelynn didn’t think that was a good combination for relationships and sex. Kai’sa being a weirdo with way too many fucking dogs was working for her though.

Kai’sa breathed out a shaky sigh against Evelynn’s mouth, her hands moving from her hips to creep underneath her shirt. Evelynn’s heart rate skyrocketed, and she felt her hips jog forward of their own accord. Too much fabric rested between them yet, but she caught Kai’sa’s thigh just right, putting just enough pressure to take the edge off. The pressure, the sudden, all-consuming feeling of it, made Evelynn whimper into the top of Kai’sa’s head. Then Kai’sa fucking bit her.

Teeth sank into the skin of her neck, none too gently. A ragged cry tore itself from Evelynn’s throat and she felt her spine snap straight, arching hard enough that her whole body moved with the force of it. Pain worked. Pain _really_ worked for her. It always had. She growled through bared teeth, pressing her hand to the back of Kai’sa’s head, keeping her mouth right where it was. “I’m going to fucking ruin you,” she promised, aroused growl turning her voice dark and gravelly.

Kai’sa groaned something that sounded distinctly like ‘oh my god,’ but it was muffled in her skin. Evelynn roughly released her head, eyes rolling at the feeling of Kai’sa dragging her tongue across the bruising mark. She peeled her shirt off, flinging it somewhere across the living room, watching Kai’sa’s eyes go soft and hazy as she took in her bare chest. “You’re so pretty,” she whispered, soft, reverent. Evelynn, for a brief moment, felt fucking _worshipped,_ and god damn it, that was doing it for her too.

“Bite me again,” Evelynn panted, feeling flushed and unseated. She normally had more control than this, more grace and finesse. She used to be able to hold out with Ahri for _hours_ , reducing her to a begging mess while she took her sweet fucking time doing whatever she wanted. With Kai’sa though, she felt _frantic_. She had to get this woman naked and touch every inch of her skin. She needed it more than she needed to fucking _breathe_ , she was pretty sure. She just wanted Kai’sa to take her, to tip her off her lap, slip off her shorts, and pound her into the fucking couch cushions until she couldn’t walk straight. Evelynn genuinely wasn’t sure if it was just because she was about to have sex with Kai’sa, or if it was because she was so sex-starved in general.

With a growl of her own, Kai’sa obeyed, burying her face in Evelynn’s cleavage and sinking her teeth into the curve of her breast. Evelynn moaned her approval, mouth watering. She needed to do something. She could feel her self-control fraying, and she wasn’t sure she even wanted to stop it. She’d originally intended to try and make Kai’sa as comfortable as possible, but Evelynn wasn’t sure that was doable when her mouth was capable of doing whatever the fuck it was doing to her skin right now. It felt _so_ good, and her hands were wandering too. One squeezed hesitantly at Evelynn’s backside, while the other busied itself with one of her breasts.

Evelynn bent her head, pressing her mouth to the shell of Kai’sa’s ear. She panted raggedly against it for a few moments, closing her eyes and focusing on the sharp, sudden rushes of pleasure that Kai’sa’s fingers brushing over her nipple brought her. “Mm, I need you to tell me if you want me to stop,” she told her, drawing her tongue up around the shell of her ear before sinking her teeth into the lobe of it. “Because fucking hell Kai’sa I’m going to absolutely wreck you.”

Kai’sa’s teeth unlatched and she looked up, catching Evelynn’s gaze. She looked _thrilled_ , dark desire written across every line of her face. Maybe she wasn’t wrong about that subtle masochistic streak. “Kiss me,” she whispered, bringing her other hand up to cover Evelynn’s other breast. Evelynn did, tongue slipping into Kai’sa’s mouth and teeth into her lower lip as she pulled away.

Kai’sa hitched her hands under Evelynn’s thighs, standing to her full height. It knocked some sense into her momentarily, the rush of vertigo clearing her head of that thumping, all-consuming need to fuck this woman until she screamed. She felt a little more in control as Kai’sa started walking, hitching Evelynn up around her middle. She chuckled darkly, pressing a single, sweet kiss to Kai’sa’s cheek. “Warn me next time, you god damn giraffe.”

“I prefer gazelle, thanks,” Kai’sa said, tossing Evelynn onto her bed with a small grunt. She peeled her own shirt off, wrinkling her nose at the wet fabric as she lobbed it at her clothes hamper in the corner. The sports bra followed shortly after, Kai’sa cursing as it got caught up on her damp skin. Evelynn had to help, carefully unraveling the fabric and forcing Kai’sa to take her time. Once she was topless, Kai’sa bit the inside of her cheek, fingers glancing over the rectangle-shaped shiny white scars on either side of Evelynn’s torso. She’d been terrible and picked at the burns – hence, the scarring.

It seemed like the sight of them was going to make Kai’sa stop, which, really, was just unacceptable. Evelynn surged up, bracing her weight on her palms and wrapping her legs around Kai’sa’s hips. She craned her head up, eyes beseeching. Kai’sa, bless her, picked up on what she wanted, bending nearly double to brush her mouth across Evelynn’s. It was soft, sweet, and completely different than what the situation called for. It made Evelynn’s knees go a little weak, sent her stomach fluttering. “Oh, okay,” she breathed, dazed.

Kai’sa pressed her back, settling her weight atop Evelynn and pressing her mouth to her pounding pulse. “I don’t – what do you like?” She sounded nervous, suddenly and Evelynn rushed to soothe it.

She brushed her fingers through Kai’sa’s hair, pressing her fingers up under the curve of her jaw and pulling her face up. “I like whatever you want to do,” she told her firmly, a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. “I’ll tell you if I don’t.”

Confidence seemingly bolstered, Kai’sa swooped down, kissing her once, close-mouthed, before easing her arms underneath Evelynn’s body and heaving. Evelynn yelped, ending up face down on the bed. She snorted, amused despite herself. She hopped up to her hands and knees, glancing over her shoulder to see what exactly Kai’sa was doing. She was bent double, pulling something out from under the bed. Oh. Fun. Surprises. Evelynn eased herself back down, stretching while she waited for Kai’sa to finish. She almost didn’t want to look.

She did though – she was weak for hot women. She watched Kai’sa step out of the skin-tight workout pants, watched her ease her underwear down just after that. She flipped the box open, brow furrowing, and tongue caught between her teeth as she thought. It had no fucking business being that cute. Evelynn rolled over, lifting her hips and pushing her own pants and underwear off, rolling over to rest on her stomach again once that was done.

Kai’sa glanced up at her, brow still furrowed, before seeming to come to some kind of decision, nodding to herself. Evelynn didn’t bother commenting on it, so god damn ready to finally, _finally_ live out of the fantasy of sleeping with Kai’sa that she willing to let her do whatever the fuck she wanted. A jingle of straps made Evelynn’s eyebrows shoot up. She hadn’t expected _that_ so soon, but jesus fuck she was not complaining. She rolled over, moving to the edge of the bed and pressing her naked self to Kai’sa’s front.

A whine greeted the action and Evelynn’s fingers found the straps, working them about Kai’sa’s hips and thighs much faster than Kai’sa was going to herself. She had plenty of experience in this area. She was just ready for Kai’sa to be _in_ her already, and she couldn’t wait. She caught Kai’sa’s lips in a kiss, Kai’sa’s hands falling to the dip in her waist and pulling her aggressively forward. Evelynn used to be annoyed that Kai’sa was so much stronger than her, but in the sex department, it was really fucking working for her. The strap-on ends up sandwiched between them, the blunt head of the attachment pressing to Evelynn’s stomach.

She wrapped her arms around Kai’sa’s shoulders, swiping her tongue against Kai’sa’s lips. Kissing her wasn’t anything like kissing Ahri. Ahri was all unrestrained passion, tugging at her hair and curling her tongue against Evelynn’s until Evelynn’s head spun. Kai’sa was restrained; it seemed like she was nervous to under-perform. It was hopelessly charming, and Evelynn pressed forward, encouraging boldness. She captured Kai’sa’s full bottom lip between both of her own, sucking it into her mouth and pulling slowly away from Kai’sa’s, eyes opening to watch her reaction. She heard the huff of air expelled from her nose, and she felt Kai’sa’s hands tighten almost to the point of pain upon her waist.

She let her lip go after a beat, teeth flashing in the afternoon light. Kai’sa watched, dazed, dark desire dancing in her eyes. Sometimes all it took was a little coaxing. She chased her lips, bringing a hand up to fist in her hair. She tugged, and Evelynn groaned, eyes rolling into the back of her head. Kai’sa bit her again, a sharp, fleeting pleasure before she pressed her down into the bed, working her tongue into Evelynn’s mouth and kissing her like she was the only thing keeping her sane. And fucking Christ it was good.

“Mm,” she hummed, breaking from the kiss and tapping Evelynn’s ribs to encourage her to turn over.

Evelynn obliged, ending up on her hands and knees and glancing over her shoulder, face flushed, feeling wet and sticky between her thighs. Kai’sa rose to her own knees, shuffling forward and fanning her fingers across Evelynn’s hips. She met Evelynn’s gaze, looking dazed and drunk as she positioned the blunt edge of the toy against her entrance. She paused, brow furrowing as she brushed her fingers along wet heat, forcing Evelynn to push back against the slight pressure. She tapped her once on the rear, reaching into the nightstand and pulling a small bottle out, shaking it in her right hand.

“You really think we’re going to need that?” Evelynn asked, impatient.

“I mean…I don’t know. I’m not risking it though. I’d really prefer to not hurt you.”

It was thoughtful and sweet and Evelynn took it without her usual biting comment. She was so fucking in love with this girl.

Once everything was properly lubed up, Kai’sa pressed forward again, keeping the blunt head of the toy tantalizingly out of reach. “You ready?” she murmured.

Evelynn snarled in response, surging back until she felt the toy actually slip inside. The relief was so sudden and instantaneous that she paused, head hanging, breaths panting past her parted lips. Kai’sa pressed forward, fingers soothingly stroking at the base of Evelynn’s spine. It felt bigger than it looked and Evelynn groaned, the muscles along her back rippling at the toy sank impossibly deeper. Her arms shook as Kai’sa sheathed herself fully inside, her hips pressing against Evelynn’s rear.

She gave her a minute to adjust, but Kai’sa began to move far before Evelynn was ready. She pulled out, slipping the toy back inside in one singular, smooth motion. Evelynn’s hips jumped, her mind going hazy with the rush of sensation. She could feel the blunt head of it pressing against her g-spot on every stroke. It was a white-hot pleasure, sudden, and all-encompassing. It felt fucking deep, but fucking hell that g-spot stimulation. That shit was good.

It started slow, but the rhythm built, and Kai’sa didn’t miss a single beat. Those fucking dancer’s hips kept steady and sure, the smack of their skin meeting mixing with the desperate noises falling from Evelynn’s lips. She wasn’t normally very loud at all, but Kai’sa was making her see stars. The sure, consistent rhythm, not once breaking was a lot. It was so much. She started pressing back to meet each thrust, keeping time with Kai’sa. She had never been more pleased that she could keep a beat.

However, Evelynn was no dancer and she fumbled, breaking the rhythm of the strokes. _Smack!_ Kai’sa’s hand came down hard on her ass and Evelynn was fucking sure her brain just flatlined. She had no idea what noise she made, but whatever happened made Kai’sa groan her name. She went limp, face planting into the sheets and letting Kai’sa pound her into the mattress. Holy shit. It was so god damn good. Kai’sa was starting to pant, and Evelynn could feel her sweating from where their skin made contact. She wasn’t sure she could come like this, but she was willing to ride the cresting wave until Kai’sa was done. She was that far gone.

Evelynn felt her eyes roll as Kai’sa hit her again. The marks stung in the warm air of the room. She was pretty sure there had to be handprints. The thought was impossibly arousing. She bit the pillow, eyes screwing shut as Kai’sa just kept going. One hand snuck around her front, long fingers slipping gracelessly against her. Evelynn felt her body give a weak jerk as Kai’sa’s fingers found her clit. The rhythm still didn’t falter, the thick length of the toy hitting everything good on the way in, and everything good on the way out. With the direct stimulation to her clit, Evelynn whined, her limbs starting to shake as her head spun. Kai’sa hit a particularly good thrust, her fingers pressing against her clit in a particularly good way and Evelynn’s vision went white. She shouted into the pillow, the muscles of her back rippling as her toes curled.

Kai’sa pressed forward, sheathing the toy as deep as it’ll go as Evelynn rode out the orgasm. The room was filled with their ragged breathing and the lewd, wet sound of Kai’sa pulling out. Evelynn found herself flat on the bed, head spinning and ass sore. Kai’sa plopped next to her, face red and flushed, blue eyes still hazy with desire. She reached out and brushed Evelynn’s bangs from her face, scratching her nails down the flat plane of her sweating back. “Is that better?” she asked, licking her lips as she blatantly checked her out.

“Fuuuuuck,” Evelynn groaned.

Kai’sa laughed, pride flitting across her expression as she leaned forward and kissed Evelynn’s forehead. Hot. So hot.

After a few minutes, Evelynn rolled them over, paying Kai’sa back in full. She buried her face between her thighs, jaw working until Kai’sa cried out, loud and sweet.

Kai’sa, it turned out, was a definite biter.

***

The next year went well. They had sex often, Evelynn’s ridiculous sex-drive the root cause of that particular part of their relationship. The regular sex chilled Evelynn out and even banished some of the melancholy from Kai’sa’s expression. Her dance company picked up a couple of Evelynn’s designs. She forced Kai’sa to model for her, ready to murder her by the end of it. She needed her to stay still while she slipped pins into the fabric, but Kai’sa was genuinely incapable of doing so. She fidgeted, then grumped when the pins scratched her skin – as if it wasn’t entirely her fault.

She made up for it though, by spouting off at the mouth and telling pretty much anyone she came across that Evelynn had designed them. It made Evelynn’s stomach swoop. It was painfully sweet, and supportive. It was obvious Kai’sa just wanted whatever made her happy. She mapped her appreciation into Kai’sa’s skin, scratching her teeth down the plane of her throat and sinking her fingers inside her as often as Kai’sa would let her. She breathed sweet nothings into Kai’sa’s ears, loving her the only way she knew how.

Her designs were gaining traction though, bringing her more money than the crappy office job she was working full time. She got phone calls, excited companies willing to pay her to exhibit what she made. Fucking god damn right. She was talented enough to make it on her own. She didn’t need Ahri or her bullshit handouts anymore. She could be great all by her fucking self. She let most of the designs go, creativity bolstered. She spent most of her time with her nose buried in a sketchbook when she wasn’t working. Kai’sa often slipped behind her and let her rest against her front, a point of contact that eased the bunched muscles of her shoulders. It was kind of gross how well Kai’sa knew how to take care of her, truth be told.

It was one of these days that Kai’sa dropped a bomb on their carefully curated haven of domestic bliss. Evelynn was resting in between Kai’sa’s legs on the couch, head pressed against her bare chest. She was sweating, blissed-out, eyes drooping as she listened to the pounding of Kai’sa’s heart. Kai’sa was walking her fingers down the line of Evelynn’s spine, scratching blunted nails up the length of her back, forcing a shiver. “Can I talk to you?” she asked quietly.

Evelynn’s eyes snapped open and she forced herself up, studying Kai’sa warily. “Are you breaking up with me?”

“What? No.”

“Oh, okay. Then yes, you may.”

Kai’sa gaped, a laugh bubbling up through parted lips. “Were you just not going to talk to me if the answer was yes?”

Evelynn looked at her like she’d grown two heads. “Well, I mean, yeah, obviously. If you can’t talk to me, then you can’t break up with me.”

Kai’sa pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing out harshly through her mouth. “Infallible logic, Evelynn, truly.”

Evelynn shrugged, shameless.

“In all seriousness though, um…” Kai’sa sat up, dislodging Evelynn off her front. Evelynn felt the sudden curl of anxiety take root in her chest. “I kind of uh…got a job offer?”

Evelynn quirked a brow, a ghost of a grin touching her mouth. “That’s a good thing, right?”

“Yeah! Yeah, it is, it’s just…” Kai’sa swallowed, looking away from Evelynn’s face and twisting her hands in her lap. “It’s in Seoul.”

Oh. Oh no.

Evelynn froze, feeling the muscles in her shoulders lock up. Walls snapped up around her before she could do something stupid, like cry. “Oh,” she breathed.

“It’s to be a choreographer for some big name there, apparently. They saw some of the videos from the studio – liked your designs too, by the way.” Kai’sa smiled at her, a weak, brittle thing that betrayed her own anxiety. “It’s just…this is the _dream_ , Eve.”

“I know,” she breathed out, feeling a knot, hard and insistent, take refuge in her throat.

“Come with me.”

Evelynn blinked, relief flooding harshly through her chest. She breathed out hard, nearly choking on it. God. She wasn’t being abandoned. Kai’sa wanted her to come. Oh god. But she _couldn’t_. She wasn’t sure she was ready to be back there, seeing Ahri’s face plastered everywhere. Although Kai’sa had won her over, cradling her busted heart in careful hands, there was a part of Evelynn that still loved Ahri too. Fucking Ahri. She wasn’t sure going back to Seoul right now, or, you know, _ever_ was a good idea in terms of her recovery. She swallowed past the knot in her throat, reaching out and cradling Kai’sa’s face in her palms. “Let me think about it, okay?”

The melancholy was back in Kai’sa’s expression, but she reached up, covering Evelynn’s hands with her own. “Okay.”

\----

She did think about it. She thought about it so hard that it made her head hurt. She didn’t want Kai’sa to go without her, not at fucking all. She sure as shit didn’t want Kai’sa to leave her behind here, in their shared space to pick up the pieces she’d leave shattered in her wake. She ran through every scenario that she could think of, trying to think of a way that going with her was a good idea. Really all she came up with was that going with her meant she got to keep Kai’sa. It was a strong contender, but Evelynn didn’t want to fall off the wagon and lose Kai’sa the same way she’d lost Ahri. It would defeat the whole god damn purpose. She couldn’t go.

She told Kai’sa no, hating the way it made Kai’sa’s voice choke up, made her eyes mist with emotion. Pressing her lips into a thin line, Evelynn reached out, pulling Kai’sa in and hugging her hard. What an end of an era. It ended with a whimper. “I love you,” Kai’sa whispered miserably into Evelynn’s shoulder, tears wetting her skin.

The tension hung thick between them in the following weeks. Evelynn helped Kai’sa pack up her life, leaving the apartment nearly barren aside from a few photos. She helped Kai’sa pawn the dogs off to unsuspecting tourists, spinning stupid, patented untrue tales of their tragic backstories. Kai’sa gave her thinly veiled looks of disapproval through her tears, but whatever. It got the dogs new homes and made her feel better to be shitty. Eventually, only Goblin and Zeus remained. Zeus was just too big for most people to take, Goblin too dickish. Kai’sa fretted and worried over it, but Evelynn knew she could handle it. It would be fine. They would be fine. It was just Evelynn herself who wouldn’t be.

She took Kai’sa to the airport on the day she was set to leave, heaving her stupid suitcases behind her. Even though she hated the situation, Evelynn was happy for her. She’d listened to Kai’sa gush about dance for the past three years – about how awesome it would be to work with the stars. It was what she wanted and Evelynn didn’t blame her for not passing up the opportunity to save a relationship. She respected it, even. They’d given it a go. They’d tried. It just sucked that it could still work if fate wasn’t a meddling little bitch.

Pausing by the gate, Kai’sa bit her lip, glancing down at Evelynn. “This is me,” she said needlessly.

Evelynn didn’t bother trying to have stupid, needless small talk. She just passed Kai’sa her things, rocking back onto her heels and tucking her hands in her pockets. She watched panic, sudden and all-consuming, work itself over Kai’sa’s face and she reached for her, hands closing around Evelynn’s waist.

“Maybe I shouldn’t go yet. I – I mean, Zeus doesn’t have a place to go yet and neither does,” she wrinkled her nose, fondly rolling her eyes, “Goblin. Maybe I should stay for a while and make sure we get them a place to go. Seoul will still be there. Maybe I should –”

“Kai’sa,” Evelynn cut in smoothly, reaching out and cupping her face in her palms, “Seoul won’t still be there. I can handle the animals. They’re mine too. I’ve got this. You have to go.”

Kai’sa’s breath turned ragged, tears spilling down her face. Evelynn brushed them away with her thumbs. “Are you sure you don’t want to come with me?” she asked, voice pitched an octave high as she held back what Evelynn was sure were sobs.

She felt like she’d been struck in the chest and she opened her mouth, almost spilling _everything._

_You make me feel safe and you make me feel heard. You put up with my bullshit and you love me anyway. Don’t go. Stay here. Stay with me. Don’t go. I love you, I love you, I love you._

“I’m sure,” she choked out after a minute, thumbs brushing over Kai’sa’s cheekbones, “I can’t, Kai.”

Kai’sa crumpled, pulling Evelynn into her chest and squeezing impossibly tight. Evelynn pressed her nose to her neck, inhaling deeply. She was never going to see Kai’sa again and it was a terrible, depressing pill to swallow. She hated it. She hated Seoul. She hated just about everything right now, here, at this moment.

“I love you, Eve. I’m so sorry.”

“I love you too,” she sighed, not even bothering to tell her it was okay. It wasn’t and they both knew it. “You have to go.”

Kai’sa let her go, pulling back and scrubbing both hands over her face. She was still crying, staring at Evelynn like she was never going to get her fill. “Yeah, I do,” she agreed. She brushed her thumb across Evelynn’s cheekbone, leaning down and kissing her. It was wet, Kai’sa’s damp eyelashes fluttering against her skin. “I do,” she said quietly, reaching down and picking up her suitcases.

She turned away from her, walking through the gate. Evelynn walked backward, craning her head to keep sight of Kai’sa. It wasn’t hard, tall as the woman was. She slowed her pace, staying facing forward, sure Kai'sa was going to look back.

She did.

Kai’sa looked back, making eye contact and raising her hand in a half-hearted little wave. Then, she turned again, wrenching a part of Evelynn’s shattered and bruised soul with her.

_Fuck._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "She was fine, obviously – a great person to bring home, even, but some other creep might not be." Me, chuckling: Fucking superb you funky little disaster bisexual. Also I just imagine Kai'Sa as that weird cryptid in the woods basically with way too many dogs. Hope you all enjoy my garbage and feel free to leave kudos/comments if you want! Oh, also, obviously I made a playlist for this nonsense. I've set it up so that one song is from the chapter title character POV and one is from Eve's!


	3. Akali

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Something about Akali made her want to take action, to do something with herself. Some people would call it a muse – and Evelynn did spend a lot of time designing with Akali and her aesthetic in mind – but Evelynn hated the fucking term. She didn’t want to do anything for anyone anymore. She got clean for herself, she moved to Japan for herself, she didn’t do it for the women in her life._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyway, y'all have been SO nice about this story and I really appreciate it. Thank you so much for all the comments and love this has gotten, even if I'm just fucking around. The word count just keeps climbing and I hate, but I'm having a good time lmao. This chapter gave me heartburn and I still hate looking at it, but hopefully you guys still enjoy it! Feel free to leave comments/kudos if you want! No beta, all mistakes are my own etc etc.

She was useless for a whole month. She took a cab home, face planted on the couch, and elected to not move for the rest of the night. Zeus and Goblin were anxious, Zeus’s ears perking up every time an unfamiliar sound rattled through the apartment. He’d look toward the door, tail thumping, only to heave a deep sigh, turning sad eyes to Evelynn and plopping his head back down on her spine. _“Mood, buddy,”_ she thought.

She didn’t know what to do with herself. She just stayed face down on the couch, blankly watching television and absorbing none of it. She only dragged her sorry carcass around to shower and change for work. She didn’t even draw anymore. The creativity had been sapped right out of her – leaving along with Kai’sa. She tried to cook and failed at that. She tried to do yoga the way Kai’sa had taught her, failed at that too. She tried to take care of herself – really failed at that. Still, though, this breakup wasn’t nearly as hard to swallow as Ahri had been.

Kai’sa sent her pictures, her smiling face making Evelynn’s heart ache in a way she wasn’t accustomed to. They still talked, and, even better, Kai’sa sent her _naked_ pictures that curbed Evelynn’s ridiculous sex drive. They hadn’t cleanly broken things off, that was for sure. There was still a slowly simmering attraction that wouldn’t go the fuck away. If Evelynn had the choice, she’d take all her breakups like this. She still got to talk to Kai’sa and see her naked – she just wasn’t _around_ anymore. It was, truth be told, fucking god-awful. But she couldn’t stop. Having Kai’sa this way was better than just not having her at all.

She toyed with the idea of getting rid of Goblin and Zeus, feeling introspective and sorry for herself. She didn’t know if she was going to be able to take care of them very well. But, at her heart, Evelynn was a selfish person and she kept the things that made her happy. Even though he was a full-on horse, Evelynn loved Zeus. And Goblin…well. Kai’sa _had_ called them kindred spirits. That cranky little fuck wouldn’t survive with anyone else. She did okay. It actually helped her take care of herself better. If she croaked from malnutrition, Evelynn knew neither of the animals were capable of doing it on their own. She had to learn to fucking cook.

She didn’t. She tried, but she failed. She burnt nearly everything she _tried_ to cook, even following Kai’sa’s instructions step by step. Evelynn was pretty sure that she was just not meant for the kitchen. Ramen was just about the only thing she could consistently make taste okay and she wasn’t even really sure that qualified as a food group. She ate a lot of take-out, grimacing and increasing her workouts tenfold to burn the extra calories and fat. She didn’t even think about drugs that much either. The animals helped, and Kai’sa still being _present_ without being close at hand curbed the worst of it. She was okay. She was going to be okay.

Sure, she was sad and it felt like there was a raw, bloody hole in her chest where Kai’sa used to reside, but still. She was functioning. She was being a whole ass adult about this. Slowly, over the course of a month and a half, Evelynn’s creativity trickled back. She branched out from designing athletic wear to looking into something more casual. Then, something more formal. She didn’t have Kai’sa’s stupid model figure to pin stuff on anymore, but that was okay. She could fucking handle her shit way better now than she had three years ago. She was being a whole ass adult about this. She was a little proud of herself, truth be told.

More phone calls trickled in as her designs made the rounds again. Her name was filtering out there bit by bit. She’d made _some_ splash doing this shit when she was dating Ahri, but she’d never really actively pursued it. She never saw the need, not when Ahri’s career was so set in stone and so lucrative. Now though, this was going to be her livelihood. She quit her office job, and put her nose to the whetstone, churning out designs and throwing them out into the ether, hoping someone would take notice and pick them up. Her constant progress seemed to get her somewhere. She got offers, real, genuine job offers from big-name brands to sign on and partner up for a limited release. Evelynn often refused, being absurdly picky in most areas of her life. The fucking women she chose were proof enough of that.

Instead, she let people fight over her, feeling distinctly smug about the progress. Kai’sa was supportive, even a whole ocean away. She, according to her, still spouted off about her work, wearing some of the more casual stuff Evelynn had made just for her. It was hopelessly charming and Evelynn _missed_ her something fierce when she talked like that. She _could_ handle being an adult on her own, but she didn’t really want to. What she wanted was to do this shit with Kai’sa, and even Ahri, when she thought too hard about it. It just wasn’t in the cards.

She decided to move about six months after the breakup. Kai’sa had drifted a little, being too busy to entertain Evelynn’s near-constant need for attention. It was hard when she couldn’t be there, seeing her face, reading the room. Most of the time, all she had to go off of was messages, and reading tone over text was fucking impossible. They weren’t in constant contact, their communication stilted and jumbled. It was fucking depressing. Evelynn still loved her fiercely, but love just…wasn’t enough.

Pursuing her actual talent though, that Evelynn could do. She toyed with trying to move to New York, but she didn’t really want to move back to the states. London was too fucking dreary for her and the fashion, quite frankly, too boring. She settled, finally, on Tokyo – the fashion was fucking _vibrant_ and _alive_ and _present_. It set her blood pumping, her hands itching to sink into the culture of it all. She had a real chance of doing something over there, in the city, not tucked away in Kai’sa’s small apartment in a lazy beach town. The fact that getting drugs in the city would be far fucking easier than doing it here didn’t, for once, even cross Evelynn’s mind. _“Maybe_ , _”_ she thought, _“I’m actually free of this shit this time. What a god damn concept.”_

It cleared her savings pretty good, but, Evelynn figured, fuck it. High risk, high reward, or fucking whatever. She climbed on a plane, fretted about her dog the whole god damn time, keeping Goblin’s carrier firmly on her lap. When Zeus’s cage came rolling out to meet her, Evelynn fell to her knees, fretting over the horse as he sighed deeply, pressing his face aggressively against the bars to try and get at her hands. The fact that she couldn’t bring him on board with her was the _worst_ , especially with all the horror stories she’d heard about flying with big dogs. So, she fretted, and she worried, and she almost cried upon seeing him whole and healthy, rolled out to meet her fresh off the plane. She really _hadn’t_ been a dog person before all of this, but Kai’sa made her fucking impact, apparently.

She was in an unfamiliar city, where people spoke a language she didn’t and Evelynn felt like she was fucking thriving. She was going to make this move her bitch. She was going to roll the fuck over this town and _do_ something with herself. Her confidence was back, even if she still felt a little brutalized and sore in the whole dating department. Kai’sa wasn’t something someone just…shook off. Neither was Ahri, but Evelynn still didn’t like to think about Ahri. Ahri still pissed her off.

She posted up in a relatively nice apartment and paid way too much in rent and a pet deposit. She was still selling off quite a few designs, so the expense didn’t entirely break her bank. Still, though, Evelynn knew she was playing with fire a little bit. Worse, she was stagnating. Nothing was working, and Evelynn crumpled up more pages of her sketchbook than she saved. She was fucking grumpy about it, truth be told. Creativity wasn’t something that just _stopped_ and Evelynn truly didn’t understand how being in this bright and vibrant city _somehow_ robbed her of it.

Sighing, she tilted her head back against her couch, lobbing another balled up page of her sketchbook in the general direction of her trash can. Zeus glanced up at her, ears quirking. He lumbered to his feet, tapping his way across the floor and scooping up the balled up drawing in his mouth. He deposited it, wet and drooly, in Evelynn’s lap, looking at her with big, hopeful eyes. “Oh, gross dude,” she sighed, picking it up with two fingers and lobbing it away. Zeus scrambled after it, bringing it back even _wetter_ the next time. Evelynn vowed to get him some toys.

“Come on,” she said, giving him an affectionate pat to the side, “You wanna go for a walk?”

His ears perked again, intimately familiar with the ‘W’ word. His tail wagged so hard it moved his whole butt and Evelynn chuckled despite herself. She looped his leash on, changing into running shoes and workout clothes in case she decided to run with him. He was huge and lumbering, so Evelynn didn’t generally go too hard. She was pretty sure it would be murder on his joints. She paused, in the middle of petting the horse, and took the time to marvel at it all. This was so surreal. Three years ago she had one foot in the grave and one foot into a seriously nasty breakup. Three years ago she’d have a needle in her arm and a brain on cloud nine. Now, after Ahri and Kai’sa, she was _functioning_. She had a career and a goal and she had things that depended on her. Apparently, she now knew, that helped a shit ton. She couldn’t just _die_ when the animals needed her.

Patting Zeus on the flank, Evelynn exited her apartment, growling right back at Goblin when she started making shitty noises. She loved that piece of shit. She moved down the stairs, stopping several times so her neighbors could coo over Zeus, who, predictably, thrived under the attention. Maybe he was more like her than she originally thought. Evelynn didn’t speak Japanese, so communication was a little iffy, but Zeus transcended the language barrier. He was cute enough and friendly enough that people just grinned when they pet him.

She started a light jog once she got to the street, sticking close to the sidewalk and carving a path through pedestrian traffic. Whatever, fuck those people. They could get out of her damn way. She ran for about thirty minutes before something bright and colorful caught her eye. Pausing, Evelynn moved over to the underpass, eyes roaming the bright shapes that she saw. The graffiti was bright and eye-catching, with a certain raw honesty about it that tugged at something in the back of Evelynn’s brain. Her fucking creativity, she realized. _Finally_. 

With a grin, Evelynn snapped a few pictures on her phone, searching for the signature hidden within the splash of color. She wasn’t a total monster – she wanted to credit someone who she was taking inspiration from. And god damn it, this artwork was definitely something she wanted to take inspiration from. It was giving her _ideas_ , and it had been far too long since she was inspired like this. Even _Kai’sa_ hadn’t inspired her like this.

Evelynn paused, walking forward and laying her fingers against the concrete. She followed the lines of the paint, a grin tugging at the corner of her mouth. Maybe a whole streetwear line based solely on this. Or, she could even do something _different_ with formal wear based on the unrefined, jagged edges of the lines. Blurry shapes formed in her mind, and Evelynn’s fingers itched for a pencil – something to write it all down before it drained out of her again. Breathing out a slow breath, Evelynn placed the flat of her palm against the brightest splash of color, nodding to herself. She just had to find the artist, that was all. She just had to find the artist in a city with over nine million people.

No problem.

***

It was a problem.

Evelynn looked and looked but ultimately found nothing. She took to social media, posting for the first time since Kai’sa to see if anyone knew _anything_ about the elusive artist. Credit was important to her. She was not about to take liberal inspiration without having a discussion first. She designed, and she created, leaving piles of clothes strewn around her apartment. She couldn’t do anything at all with them though. Not without permission. Not without _something_. Grumpy and defeated, Evelynn flopped across her couch. Zeus nosed at her face and she sighed, relenting as she pats his head.

She pushed herself up, snagging the overflowing trash bag and moving to the front door. She throws it open, stumbling upon a truly fantastic scene. A woman flew by, arms pumping as she sprinted. Upon seeing her door open, she skidded to a stop, vaulted off the wall, and rolled to her feet in front of Evelynn’s shocked face. It was a genuinely impressive display of athleticism. She spits something out in Japanese, her hands flying about her in a panicked frenzy. Evelynn just lets her eyebrows climb up her forehead, a bag of garbage dangling from her right hand.

The other woman was short – shorter than Evelynn herself. Her hair was dark but wild, windswept – a hat perched atop it. She had on baggy sweats and a sports bra, complete with a mask covering the lower half of her face. The mask itself was eerie, depicting a sort of manic looking grin filled with crooked teeth. Her exposed skin was paint splattered – reds and pinks and purples and greens. It was shockingly attractive, dripping into the lines of her stupidly defined stomach. The other woman bit out a curse, dragging paint-splattered fingers down her face. “English?”

“Yeah – that I speak,” Evelynn replied in a daze.

“Good. Let me in.”

Evelynn reeled as if slapped, stepping out into the hall and snapping her door shut behind her. “No,” she snapped, crossing her arms over her chest, complete with the trash bag bumping into her left side. Gross.

A frustrated groan escaped from the other woman and she shot a panicked glance to her left. “Dude, c’mon! I just need a place to post up before Caitlyn –” A commotion started at the end of the hall, and Evelynn glanced up to see a head of bright pink hair barrel around the corner, stumble, and knock aggressively off the wall. Not too long after a slender, sharp-looking woman followed, rounding the corner much more gracefully. Dark uniforms graced their forms and Evelynn made a face. Ugh. Cops.

Reaching out, Evelynn grabbed the front of the shorter woman’s sports bra, dragging her bodily backward and into her apartment – unfortunately in full view of the two cops. Whatever, she could lie with the best of them. She could get rid of them. She’d had decades of practice lying to cops, after all. “Go hide in the closet,” she commanded, peeling her shirt off and wiggling out of her jeans.

“Buy me dinner first, babe, come on.”

Evelynn paused, glaring. “Go hide in the closet,” she repeated, command tight and annoyed.

The woman laughed, moving quickly to follow, disappearing around the corner. Evelynn breathed a sigh of relief. She removed the rest of her clothes, dunking her head in the sink, wetting her hair, and splashing water against her skin. She snagged a towel from her bathroom, wrapping it around herself, and waited for the inevitable knock at her door. Being naked and vulnerable made cops less willing to be shitty. If she could make them as uncomfortable as humanly possible, she could get the other woman off the hook. She _so_ hoped she wasn’t a serial killer.

After a beat, the knock sounded. Evelynn called for them to wait, gave it an appropriate amount of time, then opened her door a crack, Zeus’s nose pressing against the opening. The tall pink-haired woman was leaned against the wall, a tattoo emblazoned across her face. It was kind of tacky, and Evelynn dismissed her as a legitimate threat the second her eyes landed on the other woman. She wasn’t _tall_ , but she was taller than Evelynn. Her hair was dark, blue-black in the light of the hallway. Her eyes were bright blue, her features sharp but stunning in a sort of cold, detached way.

“Officers,” Evelynn purred, feeling the stirring of highly inappropriate attraction settle in her gut. Leave it to her to thirst after some blue-eyed, emotionally unavailable woman. It was so on-brand that Evelynn almost laughed.

The dark-haired cop’s eyebrow raised at her use of English and she settled back on her heels, pursing her lips. “Ma’am,” she began – and of course she was a fucking posh Brit, “May we come in?”

Evelynn opened the door a little wider, Zeus’s head escaping as he panted up at them. “If you must, but I’m afraid I’m a bit indisposed at the moment.” She let the towel fall a touch, exposing a generous amount of cleavage. The Brit kept her eyes up, but the pink-haired woman beside her didn’t. Her eyes fell to the spill of cleavage before she cleared her throat, flushing, and looking away. Oh _good_. Ammunition.

“We won’t take up too much of your time,” the Brit insisted, pressing the flat of her palm against the door and pushing her way inside. Her eyes warmed a touch as she took in Zeus, who wandered over to her, nudging his nose against her hand. She began to pet him, and he became a true slut for it – fucking traitor. “We’re actually looking for someone. We have good reason to believe she may have come in here.” She made direct eye contact with Evelynn, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I think I would know if someone that isn’t me was in my apartment,” Evelynn said with an airy sort of fake chuckle. It was utter bullshit. The cops had _seen_ her tug the other woman in here, but Evelynn was going to lie through her teeth if she had to. Fuck cops. Even hot cops. Especially hot cops. She glanced over at the taller one, who was looking around her apartment with a tightly clenched jaw. “That’s not to say I couldn’t _warm up_ to the idea of letting someone in though. Vi, is it? The tattoo.”

The taller cop flushed again, eyes dropping to her exposed skin once more. Her hand came up to touch the tattoo on her cheek and she glanced sidelong at the Brit. Evelynn watched a flex of muscle bulge as her arm moved and began second-guessing dismissing her as a threat. She was _a_ threat, but the real one was probably still the dark-haired cop. “Vi,” she said gruffly, nodding once. “And we saw you tug her in here. She’s here somewhere, Cait.”

The dark-haired cop, Cait, heaved a sigh, rolling her eyes. “I know that, Vi.” Her jaw clenched and Evelynn smirked at the thought that she’d entirely ruined her plan to be suave. Cait stepped past Evelynn, moving deeper into her apartment as her eyes swept over any area that she could see. Evelynn held her breath, putting herself in front of Vi and flirting with all the finesse of a teenage boy to keep her occupied. Cait seemed the dangerous one of the two, but keeping the enforcer away from that dainty form still seemed like a good idea. Vi didn’t take it well, turning red and openly ogling her skin as she waited for the other one.

Cait wandered back out front after a few minutes, impeccably put together, even as she openly rolled her eyes at Evelynn’s blatant distraction tactic. “I appreciate your cooperation in this matter, ma’am. We’ll go ahead and get out –”

“Cupcake, what the fuck?!” Vi blurted, tearing her eyes away from Evelynn’s chest to stare at the other woman.

“—of your _hair_ ,” Cait finished with a glare that rivaled Evelynn’s own leveled at Vi. “I would just like to remind you,” she raised her voice, very clearly not speaking to Evelynn at all, “That desecration of private property brooks a steep fine and even jail time. It would be advisable to not let us catch you doing so.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Evelynn drawled, a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. She glanced sidelong at Vi again, tipping her a wink just to see her flush, “Cupcake.”

Cait’s eyes narrowed and she picked up one of the pencils resting on Evelynn’s sketchbook. Quick as a flash, she threw it down the hallway, sending it clattering off the closet with _alarming_ precision. Evelynn shut up, blinking in surprise and hitching her towel further up her body. Cait’s eyes made a slow drag up her form and Evelynn felt a shiver run down her spine at the undivided attention. “Have a nice night, ma’am. Vi.”

Vi followed without further prompting, her attention entirely on the other cop. Fucking fair, honestly, Evelynn thought. Cait had a stick up her ass, but that didn’t make her any less hot. Once the officers exited her apartment, Evelynn heaved a deep sigh, locking the door and shrugging her clothes back on. She stomped down the hallway, throwing open her closet once she reached her bedroom. “They’re gone,” she told the other woman – who was couched comically into one corner.

“Fuck. Great. You are the best.”

“I’m really not. Get out of my apartment.”

“Aw, boo. Come on!” She tugged her mask down, grin shining bright in the darkness of her room. “They’re going to be waiting outside just waiting to nab me. I have to hang out for at least a bit.” She stood, stretching as she did so. It did very interesting things to the muscles of her stomach – which Evelynn did _not_ take note of.

“Go out the fire escape,” she shot back, rolling her eyes.

The other woman tapped the side of her own head, paint glowing in the dark. “See, you’re underestimating good old Sheriff Caitlyn. She’ll absolutely have Vi posted up outside. The Sheriff herself will still be waiting in the hall. I’ve done this song and dance a million times.”

Evelynn glared, teeth clenching. On the one hand, it would make her night to fuck up a cop’s arrest. On the other hand, she didn’t _know_ this woman and she had the potential to be _annoying_. She was steadfastly ignoring the fact that Zeus seemed to like her. She could still be a serial killer, probably. In the end, her desire to be a nuisance to the cops won out. She threw her hands up, turning on her heel and stalking out of her bedroom. “Ugh, _whatever_. You do anything shitty and I’ll have my dog kill you.”

“Good deal. I’d introduce myself if I thought you had _any_ interest in it. But I’ll just go wash my hands in your sink.”

Evelynn paused, glancing back over her shoulder. She _was_ curious. It wasn’t every day that some woman bullied her way into her apartment, followed by two cops. “I have interest,” she said hesitantly.

The other woman grinned, loose and easy, confidence dripping off her. It was fucking hot, truth be told. Evelynn checked, hoping her eyes weren’t – oh and of course they were blue. The universe loved to play terrible, ill-timed jokes on her at every turn. Stupid. They were a very pretty blue, a couple of shades lighter than Kai’sa’s – which were so dark that they looked almost violet, and several shades darker than Ahri’s.

“Akali,” she told her, jabbing her thumb into her chest, “Can I use your shower? I don’t think just washing my hands is going to cut it.” She poked needlessly at her dripping abs, which made Evelynn swallow hard.

She just waved a hand in response, feeling distinctly unsettled and out of her element. She was _scary_ but this woman didn’t even seem to blink when she got snippy and mean. In fact, she seemed to revel in it.

“I need clothes too!” Akali called after her, “All my stuff’s slathered with paint!”

Breathing out a sigh through her nose, Evelynn rolled her eyes, turning on her heel and entering her bedroom again. She laid out a change of clothes for Akali, grumbling the whole fucking time. She wasn’t sure when her life became a fucking buddy cop movie, but she supposed she shouldn’t complain. Akali was hot as hell and willing to hang out. It reminded her a little bit of how things with Kai’sa had kicked off. The thought of Kai’sa made her heart throb painfully again though, so, true to form, Evelynn stopped thinking about her.

She settled herself down on the couch, keeping an ear open for when the shower shut off. Zeus wandered into the bedroom, sniffing curiously at the door, tail wagging. Evelynn closed her eyes, tilting her head back and thinking hard about the elusive artist she was _still_ trying to find. But – wait. Akali had shown up paint-splattered. Maybe she knew something. Evelynn let her head snap back up, an exceedingly rare smile on her face. Maybe this was just what she needed. Maybe this was fate throwing her bone after regularly fucking her for so many years. It was about god damn time, truth be told. She glared blearily up at the ceiling, projecting that particular thought out into the ether just in case anything was listening.

After about an hour, the shower switched off and Akali joined her in the living room, tossing her wet hair up into a ponytail and wearing Evelynn’s clothes. “So, question,” she said without pause, settling against the end of Evelynn’s couch, “The fuck was with getting naked to deal with the cops?”

Huffing out a laugh through her nose, Evelynn shrugged one shoulder. “You get naked, it makes them far less likely to want to get near you. It makes them uncomfortable. They can’t really touch you because you’re naked. It throws off the whole dynamic. I was trying to buy you time and throw them off. It kind of worked. Vi was into me.”

“I mean, fair,” Akali grinned, “Can’t really blame her there.”

Evelynn paused, shaking her head. “Are you hitting on me?”

“Trying to.”

“You bully your way into my house, hide in my closet, steal my shower and my clothes, and you’re hitting on me. You don’t even know my name.”

“I mean…yeah. Would you prefer I hit on you any other time? Also, what’s your name?”

Evelynn snorted with laughter despite herself, clapping a hand over her mouth in shock a moment later. Clearing her throat, she replied, “Ideally not right after running from the cops. Evelynn. What’d you get busted for?”

“Ugh, graffiti. It’s a huge thing around here. Getting caught’s a real fucking pain, so if you’re into that shit, maybe don’t make a habit of doing it near Caitlyn.” Akali paused, pursing her lips and turning to face Evelynn head-on. “Thanks, by the way. For letting me in here. Sorry I got you dragged into dealing with them.”

Evelynn shrugged, a truly devious looking smirk curling the side of her mouth. “Fuck cops. My life gets better when I get to foil them so. Thanks for letting me.”

Akali grinned, pulling her feet up to sit cross-legged on the couch. She rested her elbows on her thighs, plopping her chin into both her hands, eyes bright and interested. “ _Really?_ What’s your gripe with them? Mine’s pretty obvious. Yours isn’t.”

Evelynn stayed quiet, watching as Akali ruffled Zeus’s ears and let him lick her hands. “Long story,” she muttered, eyes following lines of ink she hadn’t noticed before. She reached out, brushing her fingers over them, watching Akali still to let her. “It’s not filled in,” she murmured distractedly, inspiration tugging at the back of her mind again.

“Not yet,” Akali laughed, turning her arm over so Evelynn could continue the exploration, “The piece is too big to do it all in one sitting. So I go in for sessions. They do the linework and then slowly fill the rest of it in with color over however long. Some of it’s filled in on my back. Wanna see?”

Evelynn nodded, helping Akali peel the borrowed shirt over her back, holding it up once the skin was exposed. Not much had been filled in, but what had was genuinely vibrant. Blues and golds stood out against Akali’s skin, the ink jumping with every shift of muscle. The scales of the dragon danced, giving it an almost lifelike appearance every time Akali moved. It was _gorgeous_ , and Evelynn would be very interested to see the rest of it once it was all done. She removed her hand, letting the shirt fall back down to cover her skin. A shame, that.

A silence fell between them and Evelynn flipped the tv on, turning on some bland _something_ easy to ignore if she wanted to. She wasn’t sure how long Akali needed or wanted to sit in her apartment, but she, strangely, felt no real need to kick her out. It was kind of nice having a real live human in her space again. The animals were nice, but nothing really beats actual interaction with actual people. Deciding to bite the bullet, Evelynn dug in the pocket of her pants, unlocking her phone and navigating to her Instagram. “Weird question,” she began, watching Akali’s head tilt lazily to study her, “You’re into the street art scene. You have any idea who this artist is? I’ve been looking for months.”

Akali leaned close – far closer than was strictly necessary – to study the photo. Evelynn didn’t move away. She laughed, shooting a genuinely amused and stunning smile Evelynn’s way. “Yeah. It’s me.”

\---

Akali had no interest in collaborating – in sharing the money and the space and the fame. She told Evelynn no, dodging her pointed questions and getting squirrely the more Evelynn pushed. It was fucking _devastating_. She couldn’t do anything with the number of designs she’d put out without Akali’s permission. It was the only thing stimulating her these days and the fact that Akali had next to no interest in pursuing it was just fucking depressing. Evelynn thought she might have to get another full-time job for some supplemental income. Which, _ugh_. She didn’t even speak Japanese. She’d have to learn and Evelynn didn’t want to go through all that fucking effort.

Sighing, Evelynn pulled a pillow over her head, wishing life were easier. She ignored Zeus squeaking on a chew toy from two feet away, _also_ wishing she’d removed that fucking thing before giving it to him. It was times like these, alone and bored and sad that she wanted a hit. Even now, years later, the fucking drugs still kept their grimy little hold on her. She breathed deep, letting her eyes fall closed as she remembered what Kai’sa told her. She focused on the timing of her breathing, her head going pleasantly empty the longer she stayed it. God damn it. She missed Kai’sa.

A knock at the door made her curse, throwing the pillow across the room just because she could. She rolled to her feet, smoothing a hand through her hair as she went. She threw the door open, keeping her dog at bay with her foot as he tried in vain to squeeze his colossal head through the small space. Akali stood there, looking uncomfortable and even awkward. It _so_ didn’t suit her.

“Hey,” she said, mouth quirking as Evelynn cursed, pushing back against the dog, “I feel bad.”

“Why?”

“I just – can I come in?”

Evelynn sighed, rolling her eyes and stepping aside, letting Zeus move forward to sniff and investigate. Akali paused just inside the doorway, and Evelynn tugged her further in, snapping the door closed in Goblin’s face. “Not today, you little fucker,” she grumbled. Akali glanced, startled at her, and Evelynn laughed, once again surprised to hear the sound come from her mouth. “The cat,” she explained, flicking a hand dismissively in Goblin’s direction.

“Oh, sick!” Akali grinned, crouching down to offer a hand to Goblin. Goblin, predictably, reared back and hissed, swatting at Akali’s skin. No claws though, Evelynn noticed. Progress. “Or not. Your cat’s an asshole.”

“I know,” Evelynn said smugly. She flopped back on her couch, kicking her feet up to rest on the coffee table. Akali settled next to her, studying her.

“I feel bad about how shit went last time. It’s not that I like…don’t want you to use my stuff. It’s just that I don’t really want to be connected to it?”

Affronted despite herself, Evelynn glared. “You don’t want to be connected to my brand? The fuck’s wrong with my brand?”

Leveling her with a truly unimpressed look, Akali openly rolled her eyes, which, Evelynn admitted, was pretty ballsy. “No. That’s not what I’m saying. I’m saying –” she sighed, tucking her feet up underneath her on the couch, “I’m saying that I do this shit for fun. I don’t want to make a job out of it. But I understand that it’s _your_ job and I don’t want your job to suffer, even if you’re a huge dick. Take whatever you need, y’know. Credit me if you want, but…just don’t spill who I am all over the place. I could actually get in deep shit if there’s proof that I tag everywhere. You’ve met Caitlyn.”

“You came all the way here just to say that? You have my phone number.”

“I mean, yeah, but this seemed like an in-person conversation. Plus, I owe you big for saving me from the cops. Let me take you out.”

“You’re asking me out? After all that. It was a huge excuse to ask me out on a date.”

“I don’t need an excuse to ask you out on a date, but sure, fine. Yeah. That’s the excuse.” She grinned, the corners of her eyes crinkling as she threw her arm up and over the couch, resting right above Evelynn’s shoulders.

Evelynn laughed again, eyes widening at the sound. It wasn’t really something she did. She didn’t laugh or smile all that much with Kai’sa, even, and Kai’sa was everything for a while. It felt kind of nice – a way to release the built-up tension coiled in her chest. Even better, Akali was letting her have free reign with her designs. She could have kissed her. She toyed with the idea, briefly, before deciding it was way too tacky and predictable.

“What’s your date idea?” she asked instead, feeling the stirrings of attraction squirming in her stomach. “I won’t let you take me anywhere stupid.”

“You know, I haven’t really decided yet. I didn’t actually think I’d get this far,” Akali admitted, letting her arm drop to rest fully around Evelynn’s shoulders. “Has anyone ever told you you’re super intimidating? Like. You’re so hot it scares people.”

Evelynn breathed out a laugh through her nose, unimpressed with the praise. “So I’ve been told,” she drawled, rolling her eyes.

Akali grinned again, bright and eager. “You wanna go out now? Just to see the type of shit we can get into?”

It was _not_ Evelynn’s scene. She liked to be firmly in control at all times. The thought of flitting through the city with no real plan in mind sounded _horrid_ , truth be told. “Mm, pass,” she said flatly, wrinkling her nose.

Akali’s eyebrow quirked and she leaned closer, scooting in so she sat hip to hip with her. “Why?”

Evelynn blinked, glancing sidelong at the woman next to her. “Why?”

“Yeah, why? You’re wound tighter than a spring. Might loosen you up.”

She tensed, leaning away and out of Akali’s space. “I am _not_ wound up.” At that precise moment, the tight muscles of her shoulders decided to cramp. Evelynn clenched her teeth, determined to not make any noise. Maybe Akali had a point, but Evelynn was _not_ going to concede it.

“Sure,” Akali said smugly, as her hand fell to the bunched muscles in question. She dug her fingers into the cramp, making Evelynn nearly hit the floor. It did _not_ feel nice. Until, abruptly, it did. Her head rolled downward, an entirely embarrassing whimper escaping from her parted lips as she gave Akali more access. She half-listened as Akali chattered, working her muscles loose and liquid underneath skilled fingers. Evelynn felt her spine go jelly and she sank forward, eyes half-lidded. “Tell me then. What do you do for fun? Help me plan.”

Evelynn groaned, sitting up again and knocking Akali’s hand loose as she thought. It was a fair question, but Evelynn, shockingly, didn’t _know_ what she did for fun. For years, the answer was get high. Now…she wasn’t sure. The silence stretched on for so long that Akali began to fidget.

“Eve?”

“I draw?” Her brows furrowed, and she shifted her weight uneasily, ignoring Akali’s delighted bout of laughter.

“That’s not for fun, babe. That’s your job.”

Evelynn fell quiet again, and this time Akali didn’t interrupt it. She could feel the weight of her stare on the side of her face and she fidgeted further. Stupid. “Um. Sex?”

“Valid, but not exactly what I’m looking for.” Akali’s voice had softened and it tensed Evelynn’s shoulders again. She stood abruptly, walking over to her window overlooking the city. She felt unsettled and strange, the innocent questioning throwing her off in a way she hadn’t been expecting. What did she do for fun? _What_ did she do for fun?! She felt her breathing turn uneven, her mind spinning as she grappled with the horrifying realization that she didn’t even really know herself anymore.

She jumped at the touch of a warm hand against her back, at the press of a chin against her shoulder. “It’s alright,” Akali breathed against her skin, “We just have to figure it out.”

***

Figuring it out turned out to be fucking fun in and of itself. On the first date, Akali dragged her to a tattoo parlor and forced Evelynn to hold her hand while some of the scales of the dragon were filled in. It was sort of irritating, at least at first. Evelynn huffed and hated the fact that she’d gotten dressed the fuck up for a date for the first time in about six years. She looked _good_ , and Akali was _wasting_ it by having her sit in a room with just Akali and an artist to see how fucking great she looked. Then, things got interesting. She got captivated by the buzz of the gun, the interesting way the blue ink set into Akali’s skin. She ended up leaned forward, hand lazily tangled with Akali’s as she openly stared at the tattoo gun passing over her skin.

The second date had Akali taking her to a fucking _arcade_ of all things. A fucking arcade. It was fucking fun though, especially when Evelynn realized she was _good_ at video games – better than Akali. It was fun to watch Akali’s face scrunch as she won nearly every game they played. It was fun to poke and prod at her pride, insisting that she just had better hands than Akali did – more patience, better reflexes. Evelynn would say nearly anything to make that cute fucking furrow appear in her brow.

They didn’t kiss, which was a shame. The longer they hung out – and the more explicit dates they went on, Evelynn began to wonder just what the fuck was taking Akali so long to show more than just surface-level interest. It was obvious the physical attraction was there – Evelynn made no secret about thinking Akali was god damn hot. Akali made no secret about the same. The level of physical attraction burnt through them both, setting a level of tension in the air that was genuinely alarming. Evelynn wanted to bite through it, lunge forward and _do_ something with the simmering level of attraction. But, Akali seemed to keep her at arm’s length.

She asked pressing questions, not wanting to let bits of herself go in the process. It wasn’t that Akali was _hiding_ from her, necessarily, but she certainly wasn’t as open as she wanted Evelynn to be. Still, though, Evelynn let bits and pieces of herself go. It wasn’t as hard to do after Kai’sa had carefully taken care of those fractured and broken bits. Akali wasn’t Kai’sa, not by a long shot, but Akali was something else. She was just as enchanting and bright and enjoyable to be around. But there wasn’t much melancholy in her expression, there wasn’t as much deep, soul-shattering _want_ that seemed to filter through her. Akali seemed, for lack of a better term, relatively normal. It was a definite change of pace from the people Evelynn generally found herself involved with. Because though she loved Kai’sa fiercely…the woman was hardly normal.

Akali had her head in her lap, snoozing against Evelynn’s stomach. It was so _odd_. They hadn’t kissed, hadn’t had sex, but Akali made it a fucking point to touch her whenever she could. Evelynn hardly minded – she’d never say no to contact. Evelynn ran her fingers through Akali’s loose hair, eyes following the motion. The light caught the splashes of dyed blonde; it reflected off the dark natural black. Something about Akali made her want to take action, to _do_ something with herself. Some people would call it a muse – and Evelynn did spend a lot of time designing with Akali and her aesthetic in mind – but Evelynn hated the fucking term. She didn’t want to do anything for anyone anymore. She got clean for _herself_ , she moved to Japan for _herself_ , she didn’t do it for the women in her life. She figured that was a big reason shaking heroin hadn’t worked before. She’d been doing it for Ahri.

She’d also been relearning what she liked over the past few months of spending time with Akali. She hadn’t found her thing yet, Akali insisted she’d know it when she did, but she was having a shit ton of fun trying something new. It didn’t hurt that she did it with Akali, who made her laugh so hard she fucking cried. The sharp, self-satisfied curve of her smile when she reduced Evelynn to hiccupping giggles never failed to make arousal pool low in her stomach. She didn’t laugh, didn’t smile often, and Evelynn hadn’t realized how _crucial_ doing so was to keeping herself happy and not spiraling. Jesus, what a depressing thought. She really didn’t know herself at all. She wondered, distantly, if Kai’sa and Ahri ever noticed. Akali sure as shit had.

Her phone buzzed, and Evelynn cursed as she eased herself up, keeping Akali’s head carefully cradled so she could keep napping. It, naturally, didn’t work, and Akali woke with a jolt, sitting upright and blinking blearily around. Seeming to realize where she was, she let out a small grunt, flopping back into Evelynn’s lap and glancing up at her as she unlocked her phone. “You’re pretty,” she said with a grin. Evelynn rolled her eyes, smoothing her thumb over the stylized cuts in Akali’s brows.

It was an Instagram notification showing that Kai’sa had posted for the first time in a while. With a small grin tugging at the corner of her mouth, Evelynn opened it, always willing to see that woman in the flesh. She figured she should probably feel a touch guilty, being so obviously in love with both Kai’sa _and_ , unfortunately, Ahri still while casually dating Akali, but she didn’t. It wasn’t like she openly advertised it, and she wasn’t going to _act_ on it, so it was fine. Probably. Until, abruptly, everything _wasn’t_.

The photo showed Kai’sa, glowing with sweat and exertion, grinning up at the camera with that heart-stopping crooked fucking smile. She looked to be in a dance studio, which was typical, but the woman leaned up against her front was _not_. Ahri looked spent, her face red, her hair sweat-darkened to a honey-gold. It was tied up atop her head, strands of dark, wet hair escaping and falling into her face. She smiled as well, though it looked forced. It looked like she’d be far more willing to face-plant into Kai’sa’s chest than smile at a camera, which, valid.

Evelynn felt her mouth go dry, heard the creak of her phone case as her fingers tightened around it. She had no real reason to be mad. Kai’sa knew _of_ Ahri, of course, but she didn’t know who she was, really. She just knew about Evelynn’s shitty ex that abandoned her to die of heroin addiction. She didn’t know it was _Ahri_ of all people. And, worse, it made sense they’d be working together. Kai’sa was an excellent dancer and had enough patience to teach anyone anything. It made _sense_ that she’d be choreographing for Ahri. She’d posted photos like this before, with other groups she’d been working with. It made sense, and Evelynn had no reason to be mad.

She was mad. She couldn’t help it. Her palms itched and her heart thudded rabbit-fast in her chest. Her mouth ran dry and she swallowed against the discomfort. Whatever expression settled on her face had Akali sitting up, tossing an arm around her shoulders and leaning into her side. The contact helped, and Evelynn leaned into it, resting her head against Akali’s shoulder. “Who’s that?” Akali asked, brushing her fingers over Evelynn’s to coax the rigorous grip free.

Evelynn didn’t answer, just scowled and tensed and didn’t know what to do with herself. She loosened her grip though, allowing Akali to slip her phone from numb, sore fingers. Akali clicked on Kai’sa’s display name, carelessly scrolling through as she rested her cheek atop Evelynn’s head. “She’s hot,” she said needlessly, the fingers of her free hand stroking down the plane of Evelynn’s neck.

Evelynn closed her eyes, hoping that would help, but really it just made everything worse. With one of her senses cut off, she became intimately more aware of the pounding of her heart and the sick feeling in her stomach. She just made a low, wounded noise in her throat at Akali’s admission. She clenched her teeth, angry with herself for the show of vulnerability. She was here, mewling like a child, pressed against someone who had shown nothing more than a surface-level physical attraction for her. It was gross, and she hated it. She sat up abruptly, feeling an alarming prickle behind her eyes. She was _not_ going to cry. Freaking out over two ex-girlfriends was fucking embarrassing enough.

“Is she like your celebrity crush or something? Foxy? You’re freaking out because she’s dating someone new?” Akali’s eyes were soft, and Evelynn could tell she didn’t mean what she was saying – was simply trying to put her more at ease, to coax out a laugh.

It didn’t work. Evelynn felt herself close off and she glanced away from the woman beside her. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” she grumbled, standing up and taking to pacing about the living room. Zeus nudged her hand with his head, whining low in his throat. It was annoying how well he picked up on her moods. Sometimes she just wanted to pace and be anxious and angry, but he didn’t like allowing it. She pets him but doesn't stop pacing. Thus, he doesn't stop whining. Stupid mutt.

On the fifth turn about the room, Evelynn was stopped, Akali’s hands finding purchase on her tense shoulders. She tried to shake her off, to keep pacing and spiraling, but Akali wouldn’t let her. “Stop,” she commanded, voice tense, “Why don’t you try me and not wear a hole in the floor. What’s going on?”

Evelynn glared, snapped something shitty, and was even more annoyed when Akali remained steadfastly unmoved. It was like she was immune to her jabs. Under better circumstances, she might think it was a good thing, but right now she just wanted Akali off her fucking back. “Let me go,” she ground out.

“No. You might be able to bully your way past most people, Eve, but not me. I’m not the person that takes your bullshit. I’m the person that calls you out on your bullshit. Stop taking whatever damage you’ve got going on right now out on me.”

Evelynn tensed and snarled, ready to get the fuck into it here in her apartment. Zeus whined, nosing anxiously at her back. She deflated, her head dropping and the wall of righteous anger evaporating as quickly as it had come. It wasn’t Akali’s fault that she was having issues. It wasn’t Kai’sa’s fault for working with Ahri. Hell, it wasn’t even Ahri’s fault for…well, a lot of things, truth be told, but Evelynn wasn’t sure she was willing to admit that much just yet. “Sorry,” she grits out, still resistant to apologizing.

“You’re good,” Akali tells her, sounding distinctly relieved. “Now, what’s going on?”

Evelynn grumbled, feeling prickly and annoying and unwilling to share. But Akali was looking at her softly despite her being a piece of shit, so she probably owed her something. “I dated Ahri for ten years. Then I dated heroin _and_ Ahri and Ahri fucking left me. Then I almost died and I went to rehab in South Africa because of fucking course I did. Met Kai’sa. Dated her – she left because she got a job, _apparently_ with my other ex. I hate this.”

There was a pregnant pause. “So you’re telling me that that’s the caliber of the women you date? I feel suddenly way better about myself.”

A sudden, ugly laugh ripped from Evelynn’s chest and she covered her face with her hands. “What is _wrong_ with you?”

Akali tugged her in, hooking her chin over Evelynn’s shoulder as she hugged her close. “A lot. I was just trying to make you laugh. Honestly though? Hearing you say that explains so much about you. Is that why you don’t ever drink?”

“Mhmm,” Evelynn sighed, pressing her lips against the side of Akali’s head. “I wasn’t addicted to alcohol, but it lowers my inhibitions enough to think taking another hit would be an okay idea. I don’t want to do that. I’m fucking over it.”

Akali squeezed her tight, pressing her lips once, gently, against the side of her neck. Evelynn felt her eyes slip closed, entirely inappropriate arousal stirring in her gut. Fucking. Stupid. “Your ex is a whole giraffe.”

“She prefers gazelle,” Evelynn said with a soft smile, her heart doing a funny flip in her chest at the thought of Kai’sa. _Stupid_.

Akali pulled back, a careful smile pulling at the corner of her mouth. Evelynn wanted to lean forward and _bite_ it. “Wanna make ‘em jealous?” she asked, eyes flashing dangerously in the dim light of her apartment.

The air turned electric and Evelynn pressed a hand in the middle of Akali’s chest and walked her backward, desire licking up her spine. She shoved her down, and Akali went, huffing as her back hit the couch cushions. Evelynn straddled her lap, knocking her hat loose and sitting it backward atop her own head. She wanted to do so many things – none of which were appropriate to speak about in polite company. But, the annoying _moral_ part of her goblin brain was telling her it was a bad move. Akali kept her at arm’s length, there had to be a reason for it. So, by a truly impressive force of will, if Evelynn did say so herself, she stopped. The heat cooled, though her flushed face remained. “No,” she muttered, rolling off Akali to flop bonelessly against the couch. She turned the hat and pulled it down over her face, a frustrating mix of desire, arousal, and anger flitting through her veins.

“Cool,” Akali said, voice high and reedy. Her hand settled on Evelynn’s knee, giving it what she thought was a grateful squeeze. Stupid.

She didn’t respond, just plopped her legs in Akali’s lap, kept her hat over her face, and took to dozing fitfully, wishing whatever the fuck she had with Akali would move past this point. She _liked_ her, which sucked because feelings were stupid. Feelings were _especially_ dumb as fuck when the other person didn’t reciprocate them.

 _Ugh_.

“Hey,” Akali murmured, tapping her fingers against her skin, “I can like… _feel_ your annoyance from here and I just…I don’t want to be that for you.”

Curious, Evelynn tipped the hat up, studying Akali from one exposed eye. Akali was pointing at the photo again, mouth twisted. “You pour so much of yourself into the people you date, Eve. It’s kind of super not healthy.”

Annoyed, Evelynn sat up, tossing Akali’s hat back at her. “Kai’sa and I were perfectly healthy,” she said, feeling touchy. She didn’t even try to defend the Ahri situation which…duh.

“I’m not saying you weren’t. I’m just saying – hell, she didn’t even know you had dated a whole ass K-Pop star. And Ahri’s a whole other beast. There’s like this power imbalance? Ahri’s self-explanatory, but Kai’sa…I mean, she held all the cards. You were like super vulnerable and in an unfamiliar place. And she opened herself up and her house up, I’m guessing, and invited you in. Ace move, by the way, she sounds great. But it doesn’t change the fact that she held a lot of power for a while. Your whole life revolved around…well. Her. I don’t want your whole life to revolve around me. I’m not that guy. We need to find your thing.”

Evelynn wanted to argue. She wanted to defend Kai’sa, but there wasn’t really anything _to_ defend. Akali had a fucking _point_. Kai’sa had been instrumental in her recovery, and she’d never taken advantage of the power she held, but…she still held a shit ton of power. It had evened out a _little_ more near the end and, honestly, would have evened out more the longer they stayed together. It _was_ healthy, but that was only because Kai’sa was a pretty wonderful person. And, truth be told, Evelynn’s life had revolved around Kai’sa, especially that first year and a half. She’d been the integral focal point she needed, a pillar of stability in her wildly shifting world. It didn’t change the fact that Evelynn loved her, but she could at least admit Akali had a point. She didn’t want her whole life to revolve around Akali either. She just grunted, waved a hand, and plopped an arm over her eyes, going back to dozing.

***

They found her thing.

Akali dragged her out to an underpass, shoved clothes and a mask at her, eyes crinkling as she smiled. “You’re helping me paint,” is all she said.

Evelynn was talented – she was an excellent designer and had an eye for color and shapes and any number of fashion-related things. But, that didn’t mean she was any good at spray painting whatever the fuck Akali was working on onto concrete. Still, though, it seemed kind of fun, and Evelynn was having fun trying new shit and learning things about herself, and not letting her life revolve around one singular thing. She’d tried more shit this past year than she had at any other time in her life. She discovered she quite liked video games – especially turn-based games that required her to think. She liked first-person shooters only because she killed Akali at them. She even bought herself a couple of different gaming consoles to keep herself occupied. It was fun. They were fun.

She was seated against the wall, keeping half an eye out for cops as Akali worked. The air was thick with the scent of fumes and Akali’s muttering. Evelynn hadn’t even picked up a single can. She was fairly certain she’d just get in the way, and she didn’t want to ruin whatever flow Akali had going on. As if simply thinking about her summoned her attention, Akali suddenly said, “Eve, look at me.”

Evelynn did, squinting against the setting sun.

“Good. Don’t move.”

Evelynn narrowed her eyes, mildly upset that Akali couldn’t see the purse of her lips through the mask.

“That includes your eyes, you heathen. Stay still.”

Evelynn stilled, feeling distinctly stupid as she sat there and inhaled paint fumes. The sun stung her eyes, but she tried her hardest not to squint, her mouth twitching every time Akali made eye contact. Her gaze turned soft when it touched on her and it made Evelynn’s stomach do an odd swoop. She felt like a fucking teenager again, grappling with a stupid crush. It took about twenty minutes before Akali let her move, tugging her mask down with a bright smile.

“There! Finally!”

Evelynn glanced toward the concrete, eyes widening. It was a detailed, _intimately_ detailed painting of her eyes. She saw the shape of her eyebrows cutting hard angles along the arch of her brow bone. She was a little proud to see that they looked as good as she hoped. Akali had even managed to capture the sheen of her eyeshadow and the clean lines of her eyeliner. Her lashes looked thicker and darker than they probably actually were – but most importantly, her eyes were _gold_. Akali had painted them gold. All around the centerpiece were splashes of vibrant color – vibrant enough to take her breath away. She slowly pulled her own mask down, jaw hanging loose and stupid looking. “My eyes are brown,” she breathed.

“Not in the right light they’re not,” Akali told her, voice warm and soft. They were in the fuzzy light of dusk, the sun nearly set. Evelynn wanted to kiss her. A tic settled in her jaw as she deliberated, the sun sinking and pushing them into darkness. Evelynn heard a distant clap of thunder. Akali grinned at her, holding out the paint can. “You wanna paint a little? You’ve got that whole artist thing going for you.”

Evelynn reached out, letting her fingers brush Akali’s wrist on purpose as she did so. Just because Akali didn’t want to kiss her, didn’t want to become the focal point of her life, that didn’t mean Evelynn couldn’t indulge in her own way. She wrapped her fingers around the spray paint, stepping to the wall and adjusting her mask. She was just about to press down when the wail of sirens reached their ears.

“Oh – fuck. Eve, run!”

“Run?! Run where?!”

“Babe – I don’t know! Just follow me!”

With a bright bout of laughter, Akali took off into the night, thunder rolling above her. Cursing spectacularly, Evelynn dropped the paint, high tailing it after her. She thanked whatever the fuck was listening that she’d built her stamina back up. She wasn’t as fast as Akali, but at least she could hang and run for hours at a time.

Akali nimbly dodged around obstacles; Evelynn slammed into them with curses, rubbing the sore skin as she kept moving. The sirens were still behind them – Evelynn could see the revolving lights reflecting off the nearby car bumpers. “What are we _doing_!” Evelynn shrieked, her voice several octaves higher than normal in her panic.

Akali laughed, shooting a grin over her shoulder that made Evelynn’s heart thump unevenly in her chest. “Running from the cops! Trust me, you don’t want to be on the receiving end of a Vi tackle. Here!”

She tossed something back at her, which Evelynn thought was pretty ballsy considering how fast they were moving. She narrowly caught them, fumbling with it with several creative curses dripping from her lips. They were a set of car keys. She stared blankly down, slamming her shoulder against a nearby wall as she did so. She stumbled, almost fell, hissing against the dull ache. Akali slowed, fisting the back of her shirt and pulling her back upright. It was…startlingly sweet considering how close the cops were on their tail. She’d stopped to help her, she hadn’t left her as a scapegoat for the cops. It was sweet. Evelynn wanted to kiss her.

They cut through a parking garage, losing the close pursuit with a few interesting twists and turns. Evelynn’s lungs burned, her muscles burned, her limbs ached from how often she’d slammed into things. Still, she felt exhilarated. It was fucking _fun_ causing trouble, and it was fun scrabbling her way out of it. The sky opened up on them, drenching Evelynn from head to toe. She groaned at the thought of her makeup, but then laughed when she realized she _didn’t care_. Akali looked back at her, eyes bright, hair plastered to her forehead. She led them both to a parked car – unassuming as cars went. It was some sporty-looking Nissan and Akali dove into the passenger’s seat, shouting at Evelynn to drive. So, she did.

She started the engine, scrubbing a hand down her face to clear it of the streaming water. The wail of the sirens was still pretty far away, but Evelynn wasn’t taking any chances. She hit the gas hard, the tires spinning fruitlessly against the asphalt, catching the standing water. She shot off, pulling out onto the main road and weaving in and out of traffic. She broke just about every traffic law known to man, but her heart stayed sure and steady, her focus sharpening to a razor’s edge. Her fingers tightened against the steering wheel, a truly elated smile plastered across her face. Akali stayed quiet and Evelynn was so absorbed in the act of flying down the highway that she didn’t bother to look and see why. She only spoke to direct her, reaching out to brush her fingers against Evelynn’s tense forearm.

Eventually, they pulled up in front of what looked like a dojo of some kind. Evelynn killed the engine, laughing, high and girlish as she kicked the door open. She tilted her head up toward the sky, heart thudding against her ribs. Rain splattered against her skin, and Evelynn spread her arms wide, laughing through her bright smile. She saw a flash through closed lids and glanced upward, certain she’d see lightning flashing across the sky. She didn’t, but she didn’t care enough to investigate the source of the light. Akali’s hands settled at the dip of her waist gently directing her to the door of the dojo itself. Evelynn laughed, ducking under the awning and falling into Akali as she wrapped an arm around her waist.

She pressed her nose to Akali’s cheek, grinning bright and open as she steadied herself against Akali’s shoulders. She heard the snap of a photo being taken and she glanced up to see Akali’s phone being lowered.

She pressed her nose harder into her cheek, fingers tightening against her shoulders. “That was the most fun I’ve had in…probably ever.” Her breath fanned out across Akali’s wet skin and Evelynn watched goosebumps erupt across her arms.

“Yeah,” Akali said, sounding breathless. She turned her head, causing their noses to bump, their lips to brush, “You’re apparently really into cars, huh?”

Evelynn swallowed back a laugh tightening her grip on Akali’s shoulders, not wanting her to move away. She was riding a high and following it – wherever the current took her. She wanted to kiss her. “Apparently. Who knew?”

She watched Akali swallow hard, watched her eyes dart down to Evelynn’s lips, watched her wet her own with her tongue. _Ugh_. Akali’s hand left Evelynn’s waist, coming up to cradle her face, her thumb brushing over the high arch of her cheekbone. The joints of Akali’s fingers engaged, curling around the back of her head and pulling her forward. She met her with an open-mouthed kiss, groaning her appreciation. Akali fisted her hands in the collar of Evelynn’s shirt, surging forward hard enough that Evelynn lost her breath when her back hit the side of the dojo. She kept her pinned there, slipping her tongue past Evelynn’s parted lips.

Huffing in relief, Evelynn wrapped her hands around the dip of Akali’s waist, pulling hard and pressing them flush together. She felt heat wash through her, settling in her cheeks and thumping in her head. Her hands wandered, brushing up along her sides, following the lines of her ribs inward, which led to her dragging her fingers down the flat plane of Akali’s stomach. Akali broke from her mouth with a ragged gasp, teeth clenched so hard that Evelynn could see the bump of her jaw. She froze, eyes wide, unsure if she’d made a misstep. Akali had initiated, so she assumed things were fine. She was riding the high of finding her _thing_ but hadn’t stopped to consider if Akali’s mood had changed about her. Shit.

“Fuck, take your shoes off,” Akali growled, surging forward and dragging her tongue along her jawline.

Evelynn made a small, soft noise of both arousal and surprise. She shivered against the attention, eyes rolling when Akali bit the lobe of her ear. She toed her shoes off without preamble, the previous hesitation forgotten. Akali tugged her in by the collar again, man-handling her inside the dojo. Evelynn stumbled backward, blind, being led by the burning hot brands from Akali’s hands wrapped around her hips. She was an accomplished kisser, something Evelynn hadn’t really been expecting. Akali was goofy and she was half expecting to have to lead her through the silky coax of tongues. She was incorrect. Akali knew what she was doing.

Evelynn groaned, reaching up and tangling her fingers in wet hair as she pushed back, seizing control of the situation as she was apt to do. She forced them into a wall, pressing her hips insistently against the crux of Akali’s thighs. She felt the surprised huff of air against her lips but didn’t allow Akali to break from her, tightening her hold in her hair and nipping her bottom lip. Akali’s muscles went loose under her and her fingers squeezed at Evelynn’s hips. She rolled them forward, removing her hands from Akali’s hair. She wrapped one hand around Akali’s throat, hooking the fingers of her free hand into the waistband of Akali’s pants.

She was content to have her here against the all, but Akali shoved at her hips, groaning low in her throat. Evelynn obliged her, squeezing her throat in her process. Akali made a low noise of approval at the action. “First door on your left,” she told her, blue eyes hazy with desire. Evelynn kissed her again.

She pulled back, grabbing Akali’s hand and leading the way to the door in question. She pushed it open and pinned Akali against it once it was closed. She swallowed Akali’s weak curse into her parched mouth, bracing her face with her palms as they kissed. Akali’s fingers inched under her soaked shirt, fingernails digging into her skin and dragging downward across her stomach. Evelynn felt her hips jog forward in response and she pulled back, realizing with a dark, possessive thrill that her lipstick was smeared across Akali’s mouth. She leaned down, pressing kisses along the plane of her throat, leaving lipstick marks behind like hot brands. She bit down on the junction of her shoulder, hearing Akali hiss in response. “Ow,” she said, voice low and gravelly. Evelynn bit harder in response.

Arousal was thumping in her ears, rushing through her head. It wasn’t like she hadn’t been having regular sex while casually dating Akali, but this was _different_. God, was it different. Her heart thumped unevenly against her ribs, her hands shook and she wanted nothing more than to reduce Akali to a crying, begging mess. Or, _better_ , have her on her knees, eyes open, hazy and trusting, _begging_ to get between Evelynn’s thighs. What a pretty picture that would be. Something was appealing about breaking that iron will and turning it into something mutable in the palm of her hand. Or maybe she just had dark kinks.

Evelynn pressed the flat of her palm against Akali’s chest, breaking the kiss with a wet smack. She thumbed a lipstick smear at the corner of Akali’s mouth, a smirk curling her lips. “Pretty,” she said quietly, watching Akali shiver at the dark rasp of her voice. Hot. She pushed off of her, peeling her wet shirt over her head as she did so. Her shoulder loudly protested and she glanced sidelong to see a dark bruise blooming along the joint. Pretty. She sat, topless, on the edge of the bed, crossing her legs, placing one ankle atop the opposite knee. She leaned back on her palms, glancing up through her lashes to study Akali’s reaction.

Akali was where she left her, cheeks flushed, hair mussed, lips swollen. A bruise, shaped like Evelynn’s teeth, was blooming along the junction of her neck and shoulder. Her eyes were wide, her jacket was pushed down to around her elbows. She looked thoroughly fucked, and Evelynn hadn’t even touched her yet. It sent another dark thrill through her. She was pretty sure she was wet through her pants at this point. This had been building for ages – Evelynn was going to take advantage of it.

“Come here,” she growled, curling one finger to beckon Akali closer.

“Jesus Christ,” Akali whispered, tripping over her own feet as she came over. She bent at the waist, brushing her mouth across Evelynn’s, panting harshly.

Evelynn hummed, giving the hem of Akali’s shirt a harsh tug. Akali went with the movement, falling gracelessly to knees in front of Evelynn’s splayed thighs. She glanced up at her, eyes hazy, pupils blown with arousal. She tilted to rest her cheek against Evelynn’s knee, keeping eye contact, expectant and obedient. _God_. She brushed her fingers through Akali’s bangs, gently tracing her fingers down the side of her face before she pressed her fingertips against the back of her head, pulling her face forward. Akali grunted in surprise as she face-planted above the waistband of Evelynn’s pants.

Evelynn felt the scrape of her teeth before she felt her pants moving. Biting the inside of her cheek to stop the truly feral snarl she felt aching to burst forth, Evelynn lifted her hips. Akali clumsily dragged her pants down with her teeth, pressing her panting mouth just above the band of Evelynn’s underwear, licking at the skin there. Evelynn’s hips jumped again and she took a harsh handful of hair, forcing Akali’s head back. She studied her face in silence, and Akali studied her right back. She eased her grip, letting Akali hook her fingers into her underwear and pull that down as well. There was no real preamble after that. Akali spread her thighs with grasping hands, and drew her tongue up through wet heat, eyes glancing up to watch Evelynn’s reaction. Evelynn sighed, tilting her head back and closing her eyes. She rested her hand atop the crown of Akali’s head, hips jumping as her tongue stroked. “Mm, good,” she sighed, the heat in her cheeks liable to burn her up from the inside out.

The scant amount of praise made Akali double her efforts. Evelynn groaned through clenched teeth, rolling her hips up into her mouth. She gasped, a whimper escaping as Akali closed her lips over her clit and sucked. Evelynn screwed her eyes shut, mind going a little fuzzy as she focused on that white-hot pressure. “Fuck,” she gasped, fingers tightening in Akali’s hair. Akali hummed against her, the vibrations making Evelynn choke back another moan.

Akali dragged her fingernails down Evelynn’s thighs, tilting her head to the side to come at her from a different angle. The pressure shifted – it was just enough to make stars dance in front of Evelynn’s eyes. “God. _Good_ ,” she huffed pressing both her hands to the back of Akali’s head to lock her in the position. She rolled her hips up, catching Akali’s lips and tongue as she did so. It was a constant, ever-shifting sensation and Evelynn could feel the orgasm building at the base of her spine. White-hot desire licked along her nerves, leaving them feeling raw and exposed. It was the sweetest sort of torture. She rutted her hips up with less finesse the longer it went on. Akali’s head moved with the force of it and she breathed deep and slow against her. She flattened her tongue, seemingly content to let Evelynn ride her face.

It wasn’t _enough_. She needed something else but she just wasn’t sure what. She panted, feeling flushed and unsettled the more she rolled her hips up, catching Akali’s tongue just right against her clit. “Do something,” she commanded through clenched teeth, cracking open an eye to glance down at Akali’s face. What she saw sent another surge of molten arousal through her bloodstream. Akali’s face was wet, from both spit and, presumably, Evelynn herself. Her eyes were full of adoration, skin flushed a blotchy pink. Her head was bent in a way that could _not_ be comfortable, but she was taking it without complaint, content to let Evelynn ride out her pleasure against her. It was a _lot_ , the blatant submission. Evelynn felt her mouth hang open, felt sparks dance up her spine, felt heat gather low in her stomach. Akali moved, curling her tongue every time Evelynn’s hips came down. That, coupled with the dizzying rush of power that the submission brought had Evelynn’s spine curving. She came silently, pressing Akali’s face against her as she came down with deep, ragged breaths. Holy shit.

Akali was wiping her mouth with the back of her hand and all Evelynn wanted to do was kiss her. Instead, she quirked a smile, tilting her head. “Strip,” was all she said, using the time that Akali needed to follow the order to recover. She had come pretty hard, turning her limbs to jelly. She couldn’t very well issue any commands if she couldn’t even stand up straight. She watched, her breath evening out as Akali peeled wet clothing off her form. “C’mere,” she said once she was naked.

Akali obeyed, settling herself on Evelynn’s lap. She was grinning, and she tugged at the lobe of Evelynn’s ear. Evelynn felt her heart give an uneven lurch in her chest. “Hi,” she purred, pleased that her voice barely shook.

“Hi,” Akali whispered back, running her thumb down the curve of Evelynn’s nose.

She leaned up, capturing Akali’s lips in a kiss. She flipped them over, settling herself between Akali’s splayed thighs. She kissed down her neck, sucking a mark against her throat. There would be time to fully use her mouth to reduce Akali to jelly later. Right now, she just really wanted her to come on her face. She scraped her teeth along the ridges of Akali’s abs, eliciting a muffled groan from behind clenched teeth. She stroked her fingers along the creases of Akali’s thighs, looking up from between her legs until Akali made eye contact. Once she was watching, Evelynn pressed a kiss against the swell of her clit. Akali breathed out harshly, her hips jumping.

Smiling against her, Evelynn opened her mouth, curling her tongue through Akali’s folds. The taste flooded her mouth, the sound of shifting moisture filling the room. Akali groaned, tugging a pillow over her face so she could muffle her cries into it. Evelynn heaved her thighs over her shoulders, lapping steadily at her clit as she worked the length of two fingers inside her. She relished the full-body shudder she got in response. She felt every flutter, every tightening that Akali graced her with. She closed her eyes, humming in contentment as she stroked her tongue well enough to have Akali cursing into her pillow. She could feel it when the rhythmic squeezing became almost too much, paired with the shaking of Akali’s thighs and the desperation of her cries. Evelynn eased off her clit, pressing a wet, messy kiss to the inside of her thigh. She moved up her body, resting flush against her as her arm flexed, fucking into her still. Akali choked on a sob, turning her head and knocking her nose against Evelynn’s without grace. “Why’d you stop?” she whined, hips rolling up into her thrusting hand.

“Because I don’t want you to come yet.” A ragged, desperate moan split the air, and Akali’s eyes flooded with adoration again. Evelynn pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth before ducking her head and pressing her lips to the shell of her ear. She curled her fingers, feeling the muscles clench around them as she tapped the pads of them against Akali’s g-spot. “Don’t you dare,” she breathed against her ear.

Akali’s spine arched a pretty bend that, despite the situation, gave Evelynn design ideas. She huffed a laugh at the absurdity of it, nipping at the lobe of Akali’s ear. She worked her up again, keeping her teetering on the razor’s edge of release before pulling back leaving Akali cursing and chasing after it. She whispered filth into her ear, leaving Akali whimpering and bucking up into her without her usual grace. It was _empowering_ to reduce her to this, a begging, crying mess. God. She was tempted to pull out completely, sit atop Akali’s face and have her get her off again. But no…no.

“Eve, please,” she groaned, fingers wrapping around the delicate bones of Evelynn’s wrist, “This is _torture_.”

“Oh, poor baby,” Evelynn laughed, kissing her cheek, “We’ll get there when we get there, darling.” At the term of endearment, Evelynn watched a flush burn through Akali and she openly whimpered, which made _delight_ settle in Evelynn’s chest. She grinned, the sharp curve of her smile catching Akali’s attention. “Why don’t you tell me what you want?”

“God, _Eve_.”

“That’s not telling me.”

Akali panted, her back arching again as Evelynn curled her fingers. Her fingers scrabbled against Evelynn’s shoulders, her fingernails hooking in and holding on. Evelynn shuddered against the pain. “I want – I want –” Akali’s face screwed up, and Evelynn felt the tell-tale tightening around her fingers.

“No,” she purred into Akali’s ear, loosening the pressure.

“Oh god. Oh _god_. Eve, I – I want you to make me come. Please. That’s what I want.”

Humming a pleased note against her skin, Evelynn curled her fingers, tapping consistently against her g-spot and not pulling back when she felt the pressure increase against her fingers. Akali gasped, back bowing prettily again as desperate noises split the air. Evelynn slipped down, pressing her tongue against Akali’s clit again. The wet heat of her mouth seemed to do it for her. Akali shouted out, hips bucking as came across Evelynn’s lips and chin.

After a few beats of silence, Evelynn crawled back up, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. She settled behind Akali, pressing her lips to the back of her shoulder.

“You are just…the biggest bitch,” Akali said, grumpy but exceedingly cuddly.

Evelynn laughed, rolling her eyes. “Oh yes, I’m just _awful_ for snapping your sanity. How dare I?” She blew a raspberry against the back of Akali’s shoulder, eliciting a laugh.

The next day, Evelynn bought a car.

***

Akali taught her that relationships didn’t have to be earth-shattering whirlpools, pulling her in and down until that was all there was. Akali had her own things that she liked to do, Evelynn had hers. Sometimes they overlapped, sometimes they didn’t. Evelynn didn’t need to do things with Akali to make them fun. She preferred to – no doubt about that, but it wasn’t really necessary.

She spent most of her time laughing with Akali, belting out shitty music in her underwear in the kitchen of her apartment while Akali rapped over her. She was having fun again, learning to navigate relationships as an actual adult. Now, almost thirty, she was _finally_ learning how to not be a total piece of shit all the time.

When Akali finished her tattoo, Evelynn got one herself. She peeled her shirt off, pointing to the shiny raised burn mark permanently plastered on her ribs. She got a [fox,](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/A2UwVQEQgHgEBlX98RqGhnY/) an homage to Ahri’s _stupid_ stage name, looking up at a [gazelle](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSag_28B88IT09l0CJn9LpHuXNwKSAWu_PUMw&usqp=CAU) with her neck arched painted in the middle of the scar. It was stupid and sentimental, and it made Akali smile softly at her – it was worth it. They dated officially for the next year, Evelynn’s thirtieth birthday coming and going.

She missed Kai’sa, and she missed Ahri, but there wasn’t much she could do about that. Seoul was still out of the question. Akali was there, and she was _wonderful_. Evelynn often told her how wonderful she was, but she never dropped any hint just _how_ wonderful she thought she was. She wasn’t a total moron, Evelynn had been in love before, and she was again.

Still, though, she didn’t say so. Old scars prevented it. She wasn’t really sure she _wanted_ to be in love, but she was. Akali didn’t drop any hints either, but her gaze was soft and indulgent when she looked at Evelynn and she draped herself over her frame as if she lived there. Evelynn didn’t really know what was stopping Akali from telling her, but she didn’t want to press. She was still battered and bruised, not really wanting to admit she loved her and then have her leave as Kai’sa had. It would be _easier_ if Akali said it first, truth be told. It made the last fight even harder to bare.

Evelynn was fixing Zeus’s food, his tail wagging and his paws tip-tapping against the floor as he waited. Goblin yowled, annoyed at the lack of attention. Evelynn carelessly extended a hand to her, grinning to herself when Goblin head-butted it, purring as she dragged her face across Evelynn’s hand. She heard her door open, glancing over her shoulder to see Akali come in, spinning her spare key around her index finger. “Hey,” Evelynn called out to her.

“Hey, you.”

She set Zeus’s food down, washing her hands and wandering over to kiss Akali hello. Akali bunched her fist in the front of Evelynn’s shirt, keeping her anchored. Evelynn made a small noise of surprise low in her throat, squeezing Akali’s hip as she backed away. “Everything okay?” she asked, arching an eyebrow.

Akali nervously chewed on her lower lip, which made a slow, sinking pit of dread settle in Evelynn’s gut. “I’m moving to Seoul,” she said without preamble, swallowing audibly.

“What?” Evelynn asked flatly, feeling her cheeks flush with both rage and desperation.

“It’s been in the works for a while – the scene there’s way more relaxed with what I want to do and just…I don’t know. You talk about it like you used to love it.”

Evelynn swallowed hard, her heartbeat in her ears. “ _What?_ ”

Akali sighed. “Eve, c’mon.”

“Do _not_ ‘Eve, c’mon’ me. This has been in the works for a while? Are you fucking kidding me? You never even mentioned it to me and just drop it on me and expect me to, what? Roll over and take it? Fuck you.”

Akali winced at her tone, rubbing the back of her neck. “I kind of uh…expected you to come with me?”

Evelynn’s whole world shifted wildly and she felt like she was going to pass out. She sat hard on the couch, staring up at the woman in front of her in disbelief. “You just – you do realize I have a _life_ , right? I can’t just follow you across the world because you fucking want me to, Akali.”

“I know that!” she grits out, throwing her hands up. “I just – Seoul probably has opportunities for you too! You’re successful here, but you could outfit bands over there, or, I don’t know! Whatever you want!”

It was then that it struck her just how _young_ Akali was. In the grand scheme of things, the six-year age difference was nothing, but at this moment, it seemed to be everything. Of _course_ she would think like that. Of course she wouldn’t consider just how terrible of an idea moving back to Seoul, even with Akali was for her. She was twenty fucking five years old with very little emotional baggage. Evelynn was thirty-one, with more emotional baggage than real human emotions. “That’s not how any of this works,” she sighed, feeling tired and worn down.

Akali came to kneel in front of her, holding her hands and kissing her knuckles. “Why not? It can be! Come _with_ me, Evelynn. We can tackle it together.”

Evelynn just looked up at her, letting the pregnant silence speak for itself.

“Okay,” Akali said, voice high and reedy with panic, “Fine! Fine. Tell me you love me and I’ll stay. Give me a reason.”

Evelynn felt the breath freeze in her lungs and felt a dark shadow pass over her face. “That’s manipulative as _fuck_ , darling.”

“It would be if I knew you didn’t want to fucking _say_ it, Eve. So just…say it.”

Evelynn stood, moving into the kitchen and pressing her palms to the counter, keeping her back to Akali. Rage thumped through her veins. Zeus studied her with deep brown eyes, looking like he wanted to smother her with affection and love. At least _someone_ wanted to. She could say it. It would be so fucking easy. But she stayed silent, her heart thumping aggressively in her chest.

“Coward,” Akali spat.

Evelynn saw red, turning on her heel. Whatever Akali saw on her face made her shrink back, eyes wide.

“Coward?! _Coward?!_ Are you fucking kidding me? You don’t know _anything_ about my relationship with Ahri. You don’t know _anything_ about my relationship with Kai’sa and you sure as _shit_ don’t know anything about my relationship with Seoul, South Fucking Korea. You don’t get to call me a coward when you don’t know _half_ of what that city did to me. What it harbors that I know all the fucking spots to get it at. You do _not_ get to call me a coward for refusing to tell you what you want to hear just to get you to stay. You want to go to fucking South Korea, Akali? Go. Bye.” She slammed her hands aggressively on the top of the couch, surprised to find herself there, fingers clenching so tight the fabric was apt to rip.

Red still bled in front of her vision, genuine, all-consuming anger running hot through her veins. She’d _never_ yelled at Akali like this. They’d fought, sure, but she’d never pressed her past the point of no return. With one simple word, she’d done so. She was just so _angry_. She was not a fucking coward for not spilling her feelings to make the woman fucking stay. It was unfair, to tell her what she wanted to hear when she wanted to go somewhere else. Or, maybe she really was just a coward.

She peeled her fingers free, snarling and dragging them through her hair, stalking angrily back into her room. She pressed her forehead against the wall, breathing deep and even before deciding to go out there and tackle this again. Screaming at Akali wasn’t going to solve anything, even if the outburst _had_ made her feel a little better. She passed her hands over her face, forcibly calming herself. She could do this. An adult conversation. No more yelling. She could handle this. Goblin jumped from her bed to her shoulders, curling around the back of her neck and letting herself drape there, as if she was attracted to Evelynn’s rage. Hell, knowing that cretin, she probably was. Huffing out a laugh, Evelynn wandered back out to her living room.

Akali was gone. Zeus sat by the door, studying Evelynn with sad eyes like he knew how she felt. Panic swirled in her stomach and Evelynn groped around the couch for her phone, lighting up to a single text from Akali herself.

_I’m sorry._

Hands shaking, she tried to call her, getting sent to voicemail every time. Evelynn squeezed her eyes shut, disbelief swirling in her stomach, making her feel nauseous and sick. She sent a series of texts imploring Akali to call her but received no response. After _everything_ they’d done together, everything they’d been through, _this_ was how it was ending.

God damn it.

God _damn_ it.

With shaking fingers, she sent a text to Kai’sa, the first person she thought of.

 **Evelynn:** Distract me.

 **Kai’sa:** I love you.

Evelynn dropped her face into her hands and cried.

\----

Akali didn’t call her back, dropping Evelynn like a sack of rocks and, presumably, moving to Seoul. Evelynn tried to call her, tried to text her, even resorted to _email_ of all things to try and get her to talk to her. Apparently yelling at her once was grounds for dumping. Fucking god _damn it._ She hated everything. She hated Akali, hated Ahri, hated herself, hated Seoul, hated this apartment, hated heroin. Just about the only things she _didn’t_ hate were Zeus, Goblin, and Kai’sa.

After a month of silence, Evelynn went out and added to her tattoo. A blue [dragon](https://www.lookslikecandy.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/69930393_1601226070002353_1801677043533942522_n.jpg) curled around the fox and the gazelle, smoke curling from its nostrils. She’d stopped trying for contact, taking the hint and realizing Akali didn’t want to talk to her. It was massively unfair, but Evelynn didn’t know that she could do anything about it. So, she played video games, drove her car way too fast, and designed. She was sad. She was lonely. She missed Akali. God _damn_ it.

The apartment felt like it was closing in around her, Tokyo itself not holding half the charm it used to. Maybe Akali had a point. Maybe she _could_ exist in Seoul. Maybe she could build a base up there, back home, where she knew where things were, spoke the language, and knew people. Sure, she didn’t _like_ most of those people, but at least she knew them. Plus, her girls were there. Well, her _former_ girls were there, she supposed. Evelynn frowned, clenching and unclenching her fists. The idea wasn’t as scary as it used to be.

Once her lease broke, three months later, Evelynn bought a plane ticket and packed up her life for the second time. She fretted over Zeus again, but the flight was much shorter this time, so she was slightly less worried. Goblin slept in the carrier in her lap. Evelynn pressed her face against the glass, watching the earth fly by below her in a blur of color. She was going to fix it. She was going to follow her and fix it.

Problem was, Evelynn didn’t know which _her_ she was actually pursuing.

God damn it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Akali, seeing Evelynn for the first time: Wow, I can't believe I have to fuck this super hot, obviously mean lady.  
> Literally anyone else: You...don't have to fuck her.  
> Akali: No, I'm gonna.
> 
> I hope you guys continue to enjoy my garbage lmao. This monster undertaking is proving a challenge™ Also, if y'all can't tell, I often enjoy making both parties a little bit the bad guy lmao. Half the fun is in fixing what the morons break.


	4. Ahri, Kai'sa & Akali

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _They kept her balanced, and, better, they satisfied her absurd sex drive. She never felt quite so fucked out after taking on all three of them at once. It was fantastic. She loved all of them, her heart threatening to burst with it._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I watched the word count climb for this fucking disaster fic like that one meme face of daenerys. GOD. This was supposed to be just me writing the kda girls banging and then ahri's chapter happened and i was like kay, guess it's plot with porn now. It's over and idk how to feel lmao. I'm a little sad because I love the monster girls + akali. Also there's not enough kda content. In all seriousness though, thank all of you guys for being so supportive of my just throwing my trash at the wall. I hope this ties it up neatly for you all and I really hope you guys enjoyed it. <3
> 
> EDIT: NOW WITH ART AT THE BOTTOM WHICH ASDFGHJKL

When Evelynn stepped out of the airport, weighed down with suitcases, she didn’t expect the abject _relief_ that ran through her veins. This was a familiar city, with familiar people. Evelynn knew her way around, knew the best places to eat, the best coffee, the best place to find job postings. She’d lived in Seoul from the time she was fourteen onward. Things had surely changed in the six years she’d been gone, but still. Things were familiar enough and she was solidly sure of herself. There was a subtle itch under her skin for a hit, but she was able to _ignore_ it for possibly the first time in her life. She knew exactly who to call for it, where to wander to buy a dime bag. But she _didn’t_ do it. She didn’t even _want_ to.

Evelynn grinned, tilting her head up toward the sky and leaning against Zeus’s crate. Pride filled her chest, which was a welcome change from the depressing numbness that had settled there since Akali left. That was why she was here, anyway. To fix it with Akali. And Kai’sa. And maybe Ahri. She wasn’t sure about Ahri yet. There was a lot of deep-seated resentment tied to Ahri, which, Evelynn was finally able to admit, wasn’t entirely her fault. She had a plan, a carefully designed, step by step encounter that she was adamant about sticking to.

She wasn’t going to tell anyone she was here just yet. She needed to get settled back in the space without freaking out before dragging her girls back into her orbit. She blinked, clenching her jaw and shaking her head. Girl. Her girl. Singular. The odds of them being down with her dating all three of them at the same time were slim to none. So she had to _choose_. Ugh. Still, though, she wanted to _see_ all of them. She was going to make amends for her shitty behavior, especially to Ahri. The thought made her bristle, and she squeezed her eyes shut. There was still damage to work through before that point.

She wanted very badly to pick up her phone and call Kai’sa, but she didn’t. She wanted to be _impressive_ before she started picking up the shattered pieces of her life. The first step of her immaculate plan was to get a place to stay. Then, a car. Then, a steady income. Despite her general prickly personality, Evelynn knew she could be charming when she wanted to be. She’d just have to pull some strings. She knew people in Ahri’s orbit that she was pretty sure would be willing to throw her bone, even after all these years. Akali had had a point. She _could_ design for bands or singular artists in Seoul. Her line was in high demand and if she could get in with the right people, everything would fall into place. She just knew it.

For now, she was staying in a rented Airbnb that allowed pets. It would work for a few nights until she could figure something else out. She could hotel hop too, she had the funds for it, especially since she’d been forced to sell her car before packing up and moving. She would need to apartment shop, or even better, find a whole home to rent out. She was tired of keeping Zeus cooped up in a small space. She wanted to give him a yard, a place to run. Plus, it would be nice to just crack her door open instead of having to pop a leash on him and lead him out to pee every time. It would be more expensive than an apartment, but investments were important or…something.

She sat cross-legged on the bed in her Airbnb, scrolling through options until she found something passable. She scheduled a site visit, feeling in control, and proud of herself. She wanted to call Akali. She wanted to call Kai’sa. It wasn’t nearly as much fun to have big, life-changing moments without something to share them with. Zeus hopped up on the bed beside her, settling his colossal head in her lap. She scratched at his ears, smiling down at him. “We got this, don’t we, buddy?” His tail gave a feeble wag, which she took to mean yes.

From there, she made a series of phone calls, bullying her way past receptionists to talk to managers. It wasn’t nearly as easy as she was expecting, which was _annoying_. Her perfectly crafted plan wasn’t supposed to hit bumps. That wasn’t how any of this was supposed to work. Grumbling, she snapped her laptop closed, setting it upon the bedside table. She flopped back against the pillows, sighing deeply through her nose. She folded her hands behind her head, staring up at the ceiling. She was still filled with that restless energy, the urge to _do_ something to get to her end goal. But there was nothing else she _could_ do at this point aside from waiting for people to call her back. She pushed herself up, deciding to go for a run. It was a good way to burn off the excess energy, and she knew the best areas to do so around here. She hooked Zeus’s leash to his collar, taking off around the city she’d spent the majority of her formative years in.

Her favorite coffee shop was still there, looking just as chic as it always had. The takeout place near hers and Ahri’s old house seemed to have closed up, being replaced by a bright, shiny looking corner store. Evelynn ran until her lungs burned and pushed Zeus past where he normally decided to tap out. He ended up laying down on the sidewalk, panting and refusing to go any further. Feeling guilty, Evelynn ran into the said corner store, purchased a bottle of water, and emptied some of it into his mouth. She sat with him until he recovered, glancing up and seeing Ahri’s face plastered across a nearby billboard. It didn’t elicit the reaction she’d been expecting. Instead of that deep, simmering anger, she just felt her heart lurch in her chest, felt her mouth run dry. Whether with want or with fear she wasn’t exactly sure. She was so pretty.

Standing, she tugged on Zeus’s leash, who still stubbornly refused to move. He wasn’t even panting anymore. Dick. Grimacing, Evelynn hitched the 140-pound dog over her shoulders, tried to take a few steps, and abruptly stopped walking, her core screaming at her. Stupid, stupid, stupid. She flagged down a passing man, grinning at him, leaning into his space, and openly flirting to get him to help her. He was flushed red by the time she was done and he held Zeus’s back end, while Evelynn held his front. Together they hauled him back to her space. She kissed him on the cheek and slammed the door in his face once she was done. She liked men, but jesus fuck they were stupid sometimes.

She ended up renting a home with a garden and a back yard for the dog. It wasn’t a _big_ space, but Evelynn hadn’t secured anything incredibly lucrative to fit her lifestyle preference just yet. She was raking in cash for her designs, but her ambition aimed higher. Besides, ideally, she’d be living with…someone before the end. She still hadn’t decided who she wanted. Well – she _had_ and the answer was all of them, but that was not exactly probable. She bought a car worth more than the house she was staying in, taking long drives to clear her head when everything got to her. She was functioning well on her own this time. She wasn’t quite as sad and bored and miserable. It was a nice change of pace to realize that though she didn’t _need_ Akali and Kai’sa and Ahri in her life, she just _wanted_ them in it. But she could do things on her own. She thanked Akali for the reminder.

Three months into living in Seoul full time, she _finally_ got a callback. Ahri’s management company was interested in working with her to make costumes and formal wear for their clients. Ahri herself wasn’t mentioned, thank god, so Evelynn was _sure_ they wouldn’t start with her. She figured she’d be designing for some of the smaller names first and working her way up, which was _insulting_ , but if it was what had to be done to let her stay then _ugh_. So be it. To celebrate, Evelynn sent the text she’d been waiting on to Kai’sa.

 **Evelynn:** I’m in Seoul.

 **Kai’sa:** I’m sorry, what?!

 **Evelynn:** Surprise? Want to get lunch or something?

Kai’sa agreed, sending way too many emojis and exclamation points. Evelynn huffed a laugh, rolling her eyes are her unbridled enthusiasm. She missed her terribly and the thought of seeing her again made her a little lightheaded. Feeling bold, she tried Akali too. Getting two of her women in the same place sounded like a _great_ idea.

 **Evelynn:** I’m in Seoul.

 **Akali:** …u serious

Evelynn paused, blinking down at her phone, having not really been expecting a response. Akali went radio silent on her after their breakup, so it was more a shot in the dark than anything. Biting the inside of her cheek, Evelynn thought for a moment, typing out a long response before deleting it.

 **Evelynn:** Yup.

 **Akali:** can we talk or something

 **Evelynn:** Oh, now you want to?

 **Evelynn:** Ugh, unfair. Sorry. Yes.

She texted Akali the address, realizing belatedly that what had seemed such a great idea twenty minutes prior was actually terrible. Good lord. Kai’sa and Akali in one place. Oh, fucking boy. Whatever, she’d bitten the bullet and it would work out how it would. She was too goddamn tired to work on juggling those emotions at this point. Besides, she had to start somewhere, and she wanted Kai’sa there and Akali there when she started pressing the pieces of her life back together.

She took way, _way_ too long getting ready. Kai’sa had seen her at her absolute worst – skeletal from heroin addiction and makeup-less. God, she’d even let Kai’sa see her with her hair not done. It had been red when they met, and Evelynn had ultimately just let it fade out to her natural pale blonde the longer they spent together. Kai’sa hadn’t ever mentioned it or complained, but still. She now got regular fucking hair cuts and dyed her hair like it was her second job. Currently, it was a light lavender color that offset the darkness of her brows. She’d never understood that about herself. Her hair was so pale it was nearly white, but her brows came in dark and defined. She just wanted to be _different_ and _eye-catching_. She wanted Kai’sa to take note.

Akali had seen her at, arguably, her best. She’d never seen her hair this color, but she’d seen her in the best shape of her life, truth be told. Her appearance was far more appealing when she _wasn’t_ constantly using drugs. Granted, Evelynn knew she’d never been _unattractive_. Ahri still fucked her when she was in the midst of addiction, so she’d never looked as awful as she could have. (It was a lie and she knew it, but Evelynn told herself in no uncertain terms to shut the fuck up.) Impressing both of them would be a little more difficult, but Evelynn intended to try. She stared herself hard in the mirror, taking note of how her skin was no longer dull and dry. She looked well-rested and though her cheekbones were still defined, she didn’t look like a walking corpse. She looked good. She looked actively attractive. Fuck yeah.

She twirled her keys around her fingers, patted Zeus goodbye, grabbed Goblin by the scruff of her neck as she tried to escape through the open door, and _finally_ made her way to the chosen lunch spot. She felt a little nauseous, unsure of herself. She didn’t know even what to talk to Kai’sa about. She was even _more_ nervous about the introduction of Akali. What had she been thinking? She went a little lead foot on the gas pedal to compensate for her shitty feelings. There was no use prolonging the inevitable anyway. Her excitement at seeing both of them outweighed her genuine bafflement at herself for setting it up this way.

She parked, smirking as people gawked at the Bugatti. She favored the look of the Lambos, but the Bugatti was faster. Evelynn liked to go fast. It looked _ridiculous_ parked in front of her rented house, but whatever. She’d spend more money on a car than on a house any day of the week. Stepping out, she ate up the attention and entertained the various questions passerby threw at her, keeping an eye out for Kai’sa’s giant form. As she was looking, she caught sight of something familiar. Frowning, she brushed off the attention, stalking through the crowd and coming to a stop in front of Akali’s shocked face.

“You’re early,” she squeaked, nervously adjusting the hat on her head.

“So are you,” Evelynn grinned, chest warming at the sight of her. It had been eight months since they’d seen each other, after all. She figured she was entitled to little gross feelings. Stupid. “I thought I lost this.” She reached out, tugging at the Korea University hoodie that had at one point been Ahri’s before Evelynn stole it.

“Oh, yeah.” Akali fidgeted, smoothing her hands down the front of the jacket. “Just…y’know.” She let the statement hang awkwardly, looking up at her through her lashes. “I kind of thought you’d still be mad at me.”

“Oh, I’m furious with you,” Evelynn agreed, “The way you left was some bullshit. But I’m also really happy to see you.” She reached out, reeling Akali in by the front of the hoodie and wrapping her arms around her. The bill of her hat bumped into Evelynn’s cheek and she huffed, plucking it off Akali’s head to sit it backward atop her own. Akali’s hands fisted in her shirt, which Evelynn made a low noise of disapproval at. No wrinkles. Not today. Akali’s hands loosened, but they remained in place. She, instead, pressed her face harder against Evelynn’s neck.

“I want to…I don’t know. I’d like to try and explain, but I know I’m the bad guy here.”

“Well, progress, that.”

Akali rolled her eyes, a grin curling the side of her mouth. “Good to see your charming personality is still intact.”

“Kai’sa told me that Gobs and I were kindred spirits, so. I don’t think I’ll ever stop being a huge bitch.”

Akali laughed, pulling back and cupping the side of Evelynn’s face, stroking her thumb along her bottom lip. “It’s like real good to see you.”

Evelynn opened her mouth to reply, eyes soft and adoring, when suddenly – “Eve!”

Akali’s brow furrowed and she glanced up, amusement coating her face a moment later. “Oh, you _didn’t_.”

Evelynn stepped back, shooting her a guilty glance. “I may have.”

“Boo, you whore,” she said, voice dripping with suppressed mirth.

Kai’sa bounded up, grin bright and warm and open as she scooped Evelynn into her arms. Evelynn felt her brain flat line. All she could think of was tits because her face was firmly pressed between them. She’d never been so glad she was short. She melted into the embrace, inhaling deeply and sneaking her hands up underneath Kai’sa’s shirt to touch warm skin. Evelynn closed her eyes, focusing on how warm and nice Kai’sa felt against her. She was so pretty. She looked so good. She smelled nice. Evelynn wanted Akali in here too. She almost reached for her, brain still fuzzy with _Kai’sa_ when she was released. Kai’sa held her at arm’s length, eyes hungrily drinking her in. “Hi.”

“Hi,” she replied, breathless. She dragged her nails down the warm plane of Kai’sa’s back, remembering vividly how nice it was to see those muscles ripple, and how good they felt against her teeth. She watched her eyes flutter, a grin quirking one side of her mouth.

Keeping her hands on her, Kai’sa glanced over her head, finally seeming to take note of Akali, who Evelynn couldn’t look back at right now. Kai’sa was here, Kai’sa was present, Kai’sa was _pretty_. It had been three years, she figured she was overdue for a little ogling. Something alien crossed her face, and Evelynn frowned, wondering what had birthed _that_ expression. It was gone in a flash, the pinched brow and tightening jaw smoothing out to a more neutral expression. Her hand slid down Evelynn’s spine, settling low on her back and pulling her forcefully against her side. She reached her free hand out toward Akali, smile guarded. “Hi.”

“Hey,” Akali said back, looking like she very much wanted to laugh. She took Kai’sa’s hand, eyes flicking over to Evelynn. “I’m Akali.”

“Kai’sa.”

“Yeah, I know.”

That same strange expression crossed Kai’sa’s face again and Evelynn felt her back pop as Kai’sa’s arm encircled her, squeezing tight like an iron band. It took her brain a good solid fifteen seconds to realize that Kai’sa was jealous. Snorting out a laugh, which made Kai’sa startle, Evelynn smoothed a hand over her stomach, squirming to free herself. “Calm down, Kai, I’m not going to disappear on you.” She shot a knowing glance up at her, watching Kai’sa’s face flush red.

“Sorry,” she muttered to her, dropping her arm and facing Akali with a smile. “I’m sorry to you too.”

Akali waved a hand, swallowing hard as she took Kai’sa in. Fair, honestly. “No need. I’d be jealous too if I didn’t know how insufferable Eve could be.”

Kai’sa laughed. Evelynn frowned. Getting these two together was a bad idea. This didn’t fall into her plan. They weren’t supposed to team up against her. That was just…unfair. Then, something even _worse_ happened to crack her immaculate plan.

“Whose Bugatti is that? Like…look at that thing.”

Ahri – and it was unmistakably Ahri, Evelynn would know that woman anywhere – wandered up, a hat pulled low on her head and a pair of sunglasses perched over her eyes. She reached out, closing her hands around Kai’sa’s forearm and pressing into her side. Kai’sa’s eyes went unmistakably soft and she leaned closer to her, the air going so electric between them that Evelynn could _feel_ it. “What Bugatti?” Kai’sa asked.

“Here, look, I took pictures.” Ahri angled her phone so Kai’sa could see, resting her cheek against her shoulder. Their stance was close and casual in a way that Evelynn was intimately familiar with. She’d slept with both of them, and they had both definitely slept with each other. She wasn’t entirely sure how to feel about it.

Worse, the anger was back. It was different when she could see Ahri’s pretty face plastered to a billboard. It wasn’t here, in front of her, within slapping distance. Evelynn ground her teeth, feeling her face flush bright pink. She had _left_ her. Ahri _left_ her. God _damn_ it!

“Ah, fuck,” Akali said, tight and tense, behind her.

The sound made Ahri startle and look up, her eyes settling on Akali. She smiled, pretty and polite, removing a hand from Kai’sa’s arm and waving at Akali. “Ah, I’m sorry. Are you the friend that Kai’sa was meeting? I’m Ahri.” Almost as an afterthought, she glanced toward Evelynn, only to abruptly do a double-take and drop her phone. “Eve?” she breathed.

Her pulse was pounding in her ears, her feet felt frozen to the pavement. Kai’sa looked curiously between them while Akali went white as a sheet, making abortive motions with her hands in Kai’sa’s direction. Ahri ignored her phone, taking a few steps in Evelynn’s direction, hands extended. She couldn’t _see_ what her face was doing in the shadow of the hat, which only made things worse. She felt her breath go ragged, eyes narrowing the closer Ahri got. She was only spurred into action when Ahri touched her. Her hands smoothed over her collar, leaving burning hot brands along her skin. Evelynn flinched as if struck, bringing both her hands up to close over Ahri’s wrists. “Don’t _fucking_ touch me,” she hissed, surprised at the venom in her own voice.

Ahri mouth pursed, her cheeks flushing a pretty pink. She opened her mouth to speak, but Evelynn growled, beating her to it. “I really don’t want to hear what you have to say. Don’t fucking touch me.”

“Can’t help it when you won’t let me go,” Ahri countered softly, flexing her fingers. Evelynn felt the shifting of her tendons in her grasp and she dropped Ahri’s wrists as if stung. She shifted her weight awkwardly, body tensed as if waiting for a fight. She probably fucking was. “I – I don’t – Eve, I don’t know what to say.”

“Nothing, ideally. You’re pretty good at that. Or maybe you should write me another shitty Dear John letter and _pretend_ you’re the good guy.” Kai’sa and Akali were surely doing _something_ , but Evelynn could only focus on the shrouded shadow of Ahri’s stupid fucking face.

Ahri’s expression twisted and she angled herself forward, hands shaking. “Are we really about to have this fight here? Now?”

“I will make a fucking scene in the middle of the street if I have to, Ahri, I don’t give a flying fuck about your precious public image.”

“That’s not what – !” Ahri clenched her fists, bringing one hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose. “That is not what I mean,” she grinds out, dark and angry.

“You sure about that? You always were _so_ concerned about it when you were also regularly fucking a heroin addict. Guess anything’s worth a good lay, hm?” It was a harsh, low blow and Evelynn knew it wasn’t fair. But she was angry and bitter, and she could feel herself regressing the longer she tried to tamp all this down. It had to come out somehow and Ahri was a wonderful person to take it out on. She heard Kai’sa’s sharp intake of breath somewhere off to her right.

“Oh _fuck you_ , Eve!” Ahri’s voice raised, going a little shrill. A few people glanced over at them, brows raised. “You don’t know the _half_ of what I dealt with from management because of your bullshit. And I don’t regret leaving you!”

Evelynn felt hurt lance through her chest at the admission, even as red bled across her vision. She heard Akali say _something_ , but it didn’t matter. She threw up her hands, even _angrier_ that hot tears flooded her eyes. “Well, that’s fucking _great_ for you, Ahri. I’m so glad you don’t regret your shitty, terrible choices.” She felt the tears spill over and she sniffed, wiping them angrily away. She wanted to say so many things, to throw the near-death experience in Ahri’s face. But, miraculously, _some_ of her character development remained intact. There was a line she wouldn’t cross.

A silence hung between them, thick and angry, filled only with Evelynn’s pitiful sniffles and heavy, angry breathing. “Okay, maybe we should –” Akali began, holding placating hands up as she glanced over at Kai’sa, who was now looking _terribly_ conflicted.

“No!” Evelynn shouted, pointing an accusing finger at her. “Absolutely not! I am not about to sit here and listen to three of my biggest god damn headaches tell me how to fucking _feel_.” She glanced at Kai’sa heart going a little soft despite the rage. “Two of my biggest headaches,” she amended. “This was a fucking mistake. I’m leaving. The Bugatti? It’s mine.”

Ahri snarled, stepping forward, following Evelynn’s retreating back. “Oh, right, just _walk away_ , run from your problems. It’s what _you’re_ best at.”

Evelynn saw red again, spinning on her heel and grabbing a fist full of Ahri’s shirt. She felt her sharp inhale and she snarled, leaning close, aching to smack the hat off her head. But. Boundaries. “Shut the fuck up you absolute fucking hypocrite. You couldn’t even break up with me to my fucking face and you’re going to lecture _me_ about running from your problems? You took _everything_ from me, I think I’m entitled to leave you the fuck behind whenever I want to.” She roughly released her, body tense and ready for whatever Ahri was going to throw back in her face.

She bit back in a truly spectacular fashion. Their fights remained nasty. “Yeah, I sure fucking did. Including Kai’sa, apparently.”

Evelynn almost slapped her. She was about a millisecond from doing so before Kai’sa intervened.

“Ahri,” she snapped, and Ahri’s anger visibly cooled. She quailed under Kai’sa’s stormy gaze, biting the inside of her cheek. She took off her sunglasses, guiltily averting her gaze from Evelynn. Fucking coward.

Without further word, Evelynn spun on her heel, digging in her purse for her car keys. She wanted a hit. She wanted to get high. She wanted to smack Ahri in the fucking face. She knew where to get the drugs. It wouldn’t be hard. She had more money than ever – she could keep herself high for days, weeks, _years_ even. She stopped, pressing her hands atop her car, her nails digging into the metal as it squealed under the abuse. “I need one of you to come with me,” she called out, eyes flicking between Akali and Kai’sa.

They exchanged a glance, seemingly both understanding _why_ that was necessary. Even Ahri seemed to. Her brow furrowed with what looked to be genuine worry. Kai’sa looked between her and Ahri, turning to Akali. “Which one do you want?”

“Eve is always soft for you. I’ll…I don’t know. Do something with Ahri.”

Ahri shot a venomous glance Akali’s way, which, mood. She never thought she’d agree with Ahri, but being spoken about like they both weren’t _right there_ was fucking insulting. Kai’sa nodded, smoothing a hand down Akali’s jaw in thanks. She turned, moving over to the car and folding her giant body into the passenger’s seat. Evelynn took a few moments to collect herself, feeling Ahri’s stare like a hot brand. She ducked in the car, closing the door and sealing her and Kai’sa in ringing silence.

“Despite…all of that. I’m really glad you’re here.” Kai’sa smoothed a hand down Evelynn’s arm, skin soft and warm and enticing. “But…Ahri? Ahri’s the ex?”

Evelynn grunted something of an affirmative, her fingers wrapping tight around the steering wheel. “You and her, huh?”

Kai’sa went violently red and guiltily averted her gaze. “It’s – no? I mean, kind of but…no.”

Evelynn let her expectant silence speak for itself.

Kai’sa sighed, leaning over and pressing a kiss to the curve of her shoulder. “She’s not…normally like that –”

“We inspire the best in each other,” Evelynn sniped with a curl of her nose.

“Maybe. But just…I think – I’m not defending her – it’s just that…I don’t think you’re the only one hurt by what happened, you know? She’s got a lot of emotional hang-ups. She throws herself into her work to the point of concern. It’s – our relationship has only been muddy for a couple of months? And she harbors guilt about it.”

Evelynn’s brow arched, interested despite herself. “Why?”

“That’s the question, isn’t it?” Kai’sa let her head thunk back against the headrest, looking tired and emotionally drained. “Like, it happened, and she didn’t talk to me outside work for like a week. At least you were easy.”

“Rude,” Evelynn said, deadpan. She found Kai’sa’s hand, twining their fingers.

“I just mean you didn’t freak out after the first time we had sex,” Kai’sa laughed, leaning forward and into her space. “You were a nightmare otherwise. At least Ahri was nice to me.”

Evelynn grimaced, raising one shoulder in a shrug. “I was nice to you later.”

“You were,” Kai’sa allowed, eyes warm, “Getting you there was like pulling teeth though.”

Evelynn felt a little better with Kai’sa’s proximity. Her anger had cooled, and the thought of Ahri didn’t make her want to punch things anymore. She was still mad – and worse, she was _hurt_. Ahri always did know how to get under her skin. But despite all that, Evelynn’s feelings for her were tangled and confusing and she didn’t want her sad and miserable. Heaving a sigh, she pressed her palms to her eyes, pressing hard enough that bright colors popped behind her closed lids. She felt the annoying prickle of tears again and she pinched the bridge of her nose. “You should go handle her. I’ll be fine.”

Kai’sa leaned in, pressing her nose to Evelynn’s cheek. “I love you so much, you know that, right?”

“Yeah. I know.” She sighed, her chest raw and open and aching. It almost made things _worse_. Kai’sa loved her, but she probably loved Ahri too and she had to choose. Evelynn wouldn’t have chosen herself either. She watched Kai’sa open the door, averting her gaze soon after, not wanting to watch her leave again.

“Are you going to be okay?”

Evelynn glanced up, swallowing hard through the knot in her throat. Kai’sa was leaned casually into the car, her arms resting atop it. She looked loose and confident and like she belonged there. Evelynn felt her chest give another nasty throb. “Yeah,” she said with more confidence than she felt, “I’ll be fine.”

Kai’sa smiled at her, soft and indulgent. She drummed her fingers against the top of the car, shuffling her feet. Despite herself, Evelynn grinned. She _still_ couldn’t sit still. Kai’sa paused, her mouth parted in wonder. A slow, warm smile unfurled across her face, and Kai’sa dipped down, bracing her hands in the passenger’s seat and kissing the grin right off Evelynn’s face. “You have a really pretty smile.”

Evelynn felt herself flush, surprised and unseated by the simple compliment. “Yeah,” she breathed out, sounding like she’d been punched in the chest. Kai’sa stood again, closing the door behind her this time. Evelynn let her gaze fall to the steering wheel. She leaned forward and pressed her forehead to it, closing her eyes and breathing deep. That could have gone so much better.

***

She didn’t hear from any of them for two weeks. It was fair, Evelynn supposed, she hadn’t been all that nice to anyone but Kai’sa, who had chosen Ahri, ultimately. Evelynn had all but given up on fixing any of the shit she broke along the way. Instead, she drew, and played video games, walked her dog, ate too much takeout, and worked in close conjunction with Ahri’s management company. She pinned various pieces of clothing to famous bands, and actually had fun doing so. It was nice to see her stuff in action and it was nice to see the positive reception of it. It eased some of the raw ache in her chest.

Surprisingly, it was Ahri herself who reached out first. Her phone buzzed with a text. Ahri asked if she was still alive or dead in an alley somewhere. An entirely charming piece of communication that Evelynn almost ignored before she remembered the pinched worry in her brow. She shot back a single word, _fine_ , and left it at that. Ahri didn’t have to believe she was clean – it wasn’t so feasible that she didn’t, but she _was_. She was fine, even if her feelings were a little sore after everything. It had been going so well before she and Ahri had ruined it. She sighed, flopping back on her bed and missing Akali and Kai’sa. Her phone vibrated, and Evelynn ignored it, not wanting to get into it with Ahri again. But then, it kept vibrating. Brow furrowing, she picked it up. Ahri was calling her. Oh good.

Sighing, she accepted the call, letting Zeus hop on the bed and lay down next to her. “Hello?”

“Hey,” Ahri said. Evelynn could hear Kai’sa and Akali bickering over something in the background, which just made the situation so much worse. It faded and Evelynn imagined Ahri stepping outside. “I’m being peer pressured into calling you.”

Evelynn grinned despite herself, rolling her eyes. “Lucky you.”

“I uh. I’m sorry how everything went, Eve. It really is good to see you.”

Evelynn pursed her lips, drumming her fingers against her thighs. “You don’t have to say stuff you don’t mean just because they’re making you, Ahri. You can probably just pretend we talked and be fine.”

There was a heavy silence on the other end of the line, long enough that Evelynn checked her connection. “Where are you?”

“What?”

“Where are you?”

Evelynn blinked brow furrowing. This conversation was fucking weird.

“At home. Why?”

“Where is it?”

“What?”

“Give me your address, Eve.”

Head spinning, Evelynn did, wondering what in the flying fuck this was about. She was more curious than angry about Ahri bullying her way into her space. She _was_ a little angry about Ahri hanging up on her though. It was typical. She always was a fucking brat.

She forced herself out of bed, peeking into her living room to make sure it wasn’t too much of a disaster. There wasn’t much to it, truth be told, but she picked up a few glasses scattered around and put them in the sink. It took about twenty minutes, but Ahri, or at least who she presumed was Ahri, knocked on her door. Evelynn tossed it open, excitement and reservation licking up her spine.

She’d forgone the disguise this time. Her hair was loose, her makeup immaculate. She looked _cute_ , which was a thought Evelynn never thought she’d have again. They stared at each other in silence for a moment before Goblin ruined it. Evelynn heard the patter of her little feet and cursed violently, tugging Ahri inside and snapping the door shut in the cat’s face. “Not today,” she snapped down at her. Goblin hissed at her like a true piece of shit and Evelynn nudged her away with her foot. Golden eyes surveyed Ahri for a moment and Goblin moved over to her, tail high in the air. She sniffed her before abruptly head-butting her in the shin. Evelynn gaped.

Ahri crouched, offering her hand out to the cat, who ignored it in favor of jumping directly into Ahri’s chest. Ahri caught her with a laugh, grin bright and filling the space with warmth. Ugh. Stupid. Goblin’s rumbling purrs filled the living room and Evelynn openly stared, feeling distinctly betrayed. That piece of shit cat was _never_ that nice to anyone. Ahri cradled her like a baby, entertaining Goblin’s paws swatting at the ends of her hair. “I didn’t know you were an animal person.”

“I’m not. Kai’sa was.”

Zeus chose that moment to lumber into the room, ears perking at the sight of a new person. His tail wagged, and Ahri’s eyes widened. Evelynn laughed, remembering her reaction the first time she’d seen him. Ahri shifted Goblin to rest around her neck and extended her hand out to Zeus. He moved up, politely sniffing before wandering back over to Evelynn, leaning against her leg. Evelynn grinned down at him, ruffling his ears.

“She still is,” Ahri told her, sounding tired, “She tries to adopt every animal we see. I’m almost positive she’s secretly feeding raccoons.”

“How many do you have?”

Ahri sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Just one cat and dog at the moment. But she keeps making these big, sad eyes at me every time we see a stray cat or something.”

“She had five dogs and three cats when I met her so. Look forward to that.” The abject horror that painted Ahri’s face made her laugh, clapping a hand over her mouth to stifle the sound.

“It’s not funny, Eve,” Ahri grumbled, “There would be hair _everywhere_.”

“Like there’s not already,” Evelynn teased, reaching out and smoothing her fingers through Ahri’s hair, “Don’t act like you don’t shed.”

Ahri froze, and by extension, so did Evelynn. Her eyes went soft and her bottom lip quivered. Ahri stepped forward, plucked Goblin from around her neck, set her on the floor, and face planted into Evelynn’s body. She snaked her arms around the dip of Evelynn’s waist, breathing out a stilted, shuddering breath. Evelynn blinked, carefully lowering her hands to rest upon Ahri’s heaving ribs. “I’m just –” she began, choking out the sentences like they hurt her, “—I’m so glad you’re alright. I didn’t know what to think when you stopped using our bank account.”

“You could have called,” she murmured into Ahri’s ear.

“So could you,” she shot back, squeezing her tighter.

Well, that was fair, she supposed.

They sat in silence, Ahri’s body warm and solid and inviting and familiar. She smelled like something citrusy. Orange, maybe, or orange blossom. Evelynn was content to stand there forever, breathing her in, but of course, that wasn’t feasible. Ahri pulled back, hands still fisted in her shirt at her ribs. “Kai’sa, uh. She’s cooking. Do you want to come and eat?” She glanced around, mouth pursing. “Your house is depressing.”

Rolling her eyes, Evelynn tried to step back, but Ahri stepped with her. Well. Okay. She _did_ want to, but she also kind of wanted to call Akali and see what she was doing. The thought of being sandwiched between Kai’sa and Ahri – well, okay, _that_ thought was appealing – but being the third wheel to their relationship sounded terrible. “It does its job just fine. And –”

“Akali will be there,” Ahri cut her off, “Her and Kai’sa hit it off pretty well. I like her too.” Ahri’s face flushed a pretty shade of pink and she finally stepped back, crossing her arms over her midsection.

“Alright,” Evelynn sighed, the promise of food almost as alluring as the promise of her two (three?) favorite women in one place.

The glint of Ahri’s smile was sharp. “Can I ride in the Bugatti?”

\----

She was never letting Ahri ride in her car again. She was a fucking _brat_ and touched her radio, swatted at her arm when she thought she was going too fast, and never shut the ever-loving fuck up. What was the point of owning a car this fast if she didn’t _go_ fast? It wasn’t her fault Ahri was a fucking grandma who complained any time Evelynn went more than ten miles over the speed limit. Though, admittedly, she’d take Ahri never shutting up and being an annoying bratty fuck over Ahri spitting venom at her any day.

She pulled into a long driveway, keyed in a gate code Ahri provided her with, and drove up to the biggest house she’d ever seen. Evelynn’s family was pretty rich, but even they had never owned a home this big. She blinked, killing the engine, only to realize Ahri had fallen silent too. She glanced over, only to watch Ahri’s head jerk very obviously away like she’d been caught doing something bad. “You’re allowed to look at me, you freak,” she said, shaking her head.

Ahri went pink, cautiously reaching over and brushing the backs of her fingers along the jut of her jaw. “I just – I’m still not sure this is real.”

Something about the raw honesty of it sent a nasty throb through Evelynn’s chest. She reached up, capturing Ahri’s hand and pressing a kiss to her knuckles. “It’s real,” she promised. She kept eye contact, caught in that ever-shifting blue that never failed to make her stomach squirm. The silence stretched and Evelynn blinked, sighing. It broke the moment, and she heard Ahri let loose a harsh breath as well. “I’m sorry I ever made you doubt that – I don’t know. That I was a real, tangible thing, I guess.”

“No – it’s not –”

A muffled shout and a slap made them jump apart. Akali had both her hands palms down on the hood of the Bugatti, grin warm and wide and open. Still though, _no_. Not the car.

“Hey!” Evelynn yelled, kicking the door open and throwing Akali’s stolen hat at her head. “Do _not_ hit her. Do not compromise the integrity of my paint job! No!”

Akali laughed, launching herself forward and forcing Evelynn to catch her. “I fuckin’ _told_ you, Kai’sa!”

Kai’sa’s head poked out of the open door and her expression soured. “Ugh, fine. You were right.” She smiled at Ahri, then Evelynn, but ultimately ducked back inside.

“Told her what?” Ahri asked, peering at the hood of Evelynn’s car and walking her fingers over it.

Akali shifted her weight and Evelynn grunted, hitching her further up her middle. Akali hooked her ankles around the small of her back, leaning forward and planting a messy, wet kiss against her cheek. “Kai’sa and I debated for a long time about the finer intricacies of bullying. I prevailed. In certain aspects, you need to bully people. Like Ahri. You need to bully Ahri.”

“You guys suck,” Ahri groused, popping Akali on the rear as she passed by, disappearing into the house.

“You still owe me time,” Akali said, settling flat back on her feet. She wound her arms around Evelynn’s shoulders, swaying them from side to side. “I want to steal you for a little while.”

“Okay,” Evelynn agreed, low and throaty, feeling a little overwhelmed.

Akali’s eyes went soft, and she smoothed her hands down her sides, pulling her into a hug. It was warm and tight and comfortable. Evelynn burrowed into it, breathing in deep and even to calm her racing heart. “Don’t overthink it. Things’ll work out. You’ve got me in your corner. I like them, but you’re my favorite.”

Evelynn huffed out a laugh, tightening her arms. “Yeah, that’ll change the longer you spend with them.”

“Doubt it,” Akali said, quiet and sincere. She angled her head, pressing a kiss against Evelynn’s ear. “C’mon.”

Akali led her inside, where Ahri was draped across Kai’sa’s back, chin perched on her shoulder as she watched her cook. Kai’sa seemed unphased. Despite herself, Evelynn huffed out a laugh. It was so typical of both of them. Akali collapsed gracelessly into a nearby chair, propping her feet up on the dining room table and leaning back to balance on the back two legs of the chair. Kai’sa made a low, disapproving sound in her throat, but Akali just grinned, rocking even harder.

Evelynn stood indecisive near the corner of the room. Despite being intimately familiar with all three women in the room, she still felt like an outsider. She wasn’t like Akali, who could blend in with anyone – effortlessly making herself a part of a unit. She wasn’t Ahri, who sparkled so brightly that it drew people into her orbit. She wasn’t Kai’sa, who was so painfully genuine and sweet that she was impossible to dislike. She was just…herself, and she knew she wasn’t an easy person to be around. She swallowed hard, electing to lean against the wall, staying out of the way.

She only joined the table when the food was done, the lure of the smell enough to draw her closer. She sat to Akali’s left, inhaling what was put in front of her. She looked up to three pairs of concerned eyes and blinked, pushing the empty plate away from herself. “I eat a lot of takeout,” she said as an explanation.

Kai’sa grimaced, plucking the plate from the table and filling it for her again. “Stop that,” she sighed, “I’ll make you a bunch of easy to heat food if I have to, Eve.”

The corner of Evelynn’s mouth quirked and she elected not to respond.

The dinner went by with no one killing each other, which Evelynn counted as a success. Kai’sa and Akali chattered amongst themselves, bickering, even as Akali made Kai’sa laugh. Ahri was surprisingly quiet, swirling her red wine around in her glass, studying the scene with a keen gaze. Evelynn, in turn, studied Ahri. She looked older, the weight in her gaze far more pronounced now than it was six years ago. She was just as enchanting, the _pull_ the woman possessed something of legend. Or maybe Evelynn was just smitten. Now that the constant burning rage had passed, Evelynn found herself _missing_ Ahri. They were good when she wasn’t high as a kite. They worked. Ahri was her first love. She wasn’t sure how to reconcile that with everything that happened. The fact that she was pretty openly sleeping with Kai’sa didn’t help matters. Evelynn just _wanted_. She wanted all of them.

She let her eyes fall to the wood of the dining room table, drumming her fingers against it. She stood a moment later, hearing the conversation stop as she did so. Evelynn glanced up, surprised, to find all three women watching her. She stared back, brow arching. “I have to go let the dog out.”

Ahri’s lips pressed into a thin line and she opened her mouth to speak, but Akali beat her to it. “Oh come on, babe, Zeus is the best boy. Like, _the_ most well behaved dog. He’ll be okay. You let him out before you left, right?”

“Well, yes, I’m not a monster.”

“See? He’ll be great. Gobs is probably enjoying the alone time. It gives her time to plot.”

Evelynn laughed, rolling her eyes and sliding the chair back under the table with her hip. “While that’s probably true, I still need…to…” She trailed off, blinking at the look on Kai’sa’s face.

“You kept them?” Kai’sa asked, voice thick with emotion. She stood, towering over Evelynn as she moved to stand in front of her.

Evelynn swallowed thickly, aching to reach out and slip around Kai’sa’s form. But. Boundaries. “Yeah,” she said, rubbing her neck a little awkwardly.

“You kept them,” she repeated, breathing it out quietly as she pulled Evelynn into her chest.

Evelynn closed her eyes, keeping her hands in perfectly appropriate places as Kai’sa hugged her. She turned her head, pressing her ear to the thud of Kai’sa’s heartbeat. Her mind went a little fuzzy and she forgot herself until Ahri spoke.

“It’s awfully late, Eve. Why don’t you just stay?”

Evelynn let her eyes crack open and she squeezed Kai’sa hard against her, not wanting to let her go. Kai’sa, arguably, gave the best hugs. She pulled back, but Kai’sa didn’t let her go, just slipped an arm around her waist and kept her pressed against her side. Ahri watched with a small smile, hands folded in front of her.

“We have enough room.”

Evelynn looked around before locking eyes with Ahri again. “You think?” she asked dryly, gesturing needlessly around the fucking _mansion_. Kai’sa elbowed her in the side, even as Ahri huffed out a laugh, rolling her eyes. Evelynn looked around the room, feeling warm and comfortable pressed against Kai’sa. All three women were looking at her with various forms of hope in their expressions. With a huge, put upon sigh, Evelynn shrugged one shoulder. “Oh, fine.”

She settled in one of the billion guest rooms, wearing Kai’sa’s clothes. She bemoaned the fact that she hadn’t brought her glasses – her contacts were disposable, she wouldn’t have any for the following morning, which would make driving back to her house a dangerous, if fun, endeavor. As it was, she was settled against the borrowed pillows, scrolling through her phone. The cat Ahri mentioned was settled against her feet, curled in a small, grey-colored ball. She glanced up at the sound of her door opening, squinting to try and make out the blurry edges.

Akali entered, also wearing Kai’sa’s clothes. She crawled up next to Evelynn on the bed, careful to mind the cat. This one was nice, but Akali had been trained by Goblin’s shitty personality. She pressed herself into Evelynn’s side, resting her head against her shoulder. Evelynn locked her phone, setting it on the bedside table. She threaded her fingers through Akali’s hair, scratching at her scalp. Akali hummed a low, pleased note from deep within her chest, pressing impossibly closer. “Hi,” Evelynn murmured.

“Hey,” Akali whispered back, her breath fanning out across Evelynn’s collar bones. “I want to talk to you.”

“So talk,” Evelynn whispered, a grin tugging at the corner of her mouth.

Akali squeezed her tight, pressing a kiss to her exposed shoulder. “I was going to move here before I met you. I didn’t just decide while we were dating and not tell you.”

“No, you’d already made the decision and didn’t tell me.”

Akali winced, running a hand over Evelynn’s abs. “Yeah. It sounds almost worse when you put it like that.” She sighed, pushing herself up and laying on her side, resting her head in her hand as she studied Evelynn from the slightly elevated position. “I just – I didn’t think you’d end up being as big a deal as you were. When I met you, you were just some stupidly hot girl, I didn’t think it was going to end up being anything but a brief fling. Then you just…stuck around.”

“You say that like it’s inconceivable.”

“Because it was! I’m not –” Akali cleared her throat, shifting uncomfortably, “I’m not someone people normally stick around for, Eve.”

Evelynn’s brows furrowed, forcing a sharp wrinkle in the middle of them. “That’s stupid,” she said bluntly, passing her thumb over Akali’s eyebrow.

She laughed, closing her eyes and leaning into the touch. “Yeah, I know. I just thought you’d get bored eventually after I like…showed you stuff you liked. Because you _really_ needed to figure out what you liked. So I never mentioned it. Then you stuck around and just…” She swallowed thickly, averting her eyes. “You were just kind of great. I mean, you’re a grouchy fuck, but you’re great. I didn’t know what to do. You had all these hangups and I _knew_ you’d freak out the second I told you. So I kept waiting, expecting you to get bored. Then, I got freaked out when you _didn’t_ get bored. So I just blurted it all out. I wanted to end it before you could end it with me and make it hurt worse.”

It was a direct reminder of how young Akali was, and Evelynn felt her jaw tighten. It was horribly irritating. “That’s _stupid_ ,” she snapped, but Akali pressed a hand over her heart.

“I know. You don’t have to get pissed, I already know it was ridiculous. Let me finish. I just – I’d never had someone stick around before. I think I kind of hoped you’d come with me even through all the bullshit. And I thought baiting you into it might work. It had worked before. Sometimes you respond best to being challenged. But then you refused to say you loved me and I started to freak out because oh god, what if you didn’t and I did and everything was for nothing after all? It was such a convenient excuse for me to bail. You’re like the queen of commitment issues and I’ve met the root reason why, but uh. I’m not exactly great at it either, Eve. And I wasn’t going to pass something up I’d been planning for so long.”

Evelynn let the anger simmer under the surface of her skin, not really wanting to fight about it. But it was stupid. It was bullshit. She clenched her jaw, letting her expectant silence speak for itself.

“So I left. I left and I stole your jacket on the way out and I refused to talk to you because I was scared of what you were going to say, and I knew it wasn’t going to work with me so far away. And I think I was bitter that you didn’t feel the same way, so I took that out on you too. But then I got here and realized that life kind of blew without you around.” She swallowed hard, mouth twisting to the side. “But I still didn’t reach out because it didn’t seem fair. I figured I just had to sit on it and accept that you were the one who got away. I love you, Eve.”

Evelynn startled at the admission, blinking dumbly.

“I still don’t want to be the center of your world, but I love you. I’m sorry. I’ll do better. It was a tough pill to swallow, realizing that I’m not nearly as good at relationships as I always thought I was.”

“Yes,” Evelynn agreed, feeling the anger drain out of her at the apology. “You will do better.” Akali smiled, dropping her head back down to rest upon Evelynn’s chest. Evelynn closed her eyes, leaning her head down and pressing a kiss against Akali’s hair. “I love you too.”

Akali tightened her hold, letting loose a shuddering breath. “Oh, thank god.” Then, after a beat, “What’s it like, being in love with three different people?”

Groaning, Evelynn let her head thunk back against the pillows, wrinkling her nose. “Stupid. Confusing.”

Akali laughed, pressing a kiss over Evelynn’s heart. “Yeah, that tracks. I get it though. Kai’sa’s…” She whistled a low note, shaking her head. “Even Ahri. She seems like a nightmare, but so are you, so like, I could deal with that.” Evelynn swatted at Akali’s back without any real malice. Ahri _was_ a nightmare and so was she. “Oh, calm down,” Akali laughed, “I just…you’ve got me in your corner, babe. No matter what happens, who you choose, even if it’s all of us. I can deal with that. I like them enough.”

Evelynn blinked, glancing blearily down at her right before she shut off the light, casting the room in darkness. “You’d be fine with me just…dating all three of you?”

“Yeah. I think it would make you happy and it doesn’t bother me. I really do like them. I think I could even like them like I like you given enough time. And I think both of them are still dealing with a lot of feelings over you. I just…I don’t know. I think it’s more likely than you might think.”

Evelynn swallowed, rolling them over and settling her head on Akali’s chest. Akali’s fingers found her hair, smoothing through it, blunted fingernails scratching gently against her scalp. Hope bloomed in her chest, but she harshly tamped it down. It did nothing for her, especially since life had proved time and time again that it liked fucking her. “Thank you,” she grumbled into Akali’s chest, “For having my back.”

“Of course,” Akali said, soft and sweet, “Always will.”

\----

They fell asleep like that, with Evelynn’s head perched on Akali’s chest. They didn’t talk about anything of real substance, but they did _talk_. Akali made her laugh, and Evelynn enjoyed the fact that they could lay together like this without any real expectation of more. Her sex drive was _stupidly_ high, but sometimes she just wanted to spend time with a partner, and here, cuddling in this borrowed bed, was fulfilling that particular desire.

Evelynn woke up to the sound of her door opening. She and Akali had moved during the night, sleeping back to back. Akali stirred behind her, making a low, displeased noise. Evelynn blinked, squinting against her own blurry eyesight and the dark. Kai’sa stood in the doorway, looking sweaty and pale, tear tracks plastered to her face. Evelynn sat up abruptly, swinging her legs over the side of her bed. “Hey Kai,” she whispered, brow pinching with worry. Akali sat up, blinking blearily across the room before looking at Evelynn. Evelynn waved a hand as if to say they’d talk later. Akali grunted, falling back down to rest face-first on the pillow.

“Hi,” Kai’sa gasped, making grabby motions in Evelynn’s direction. Evelynn obliged her, folding into her chest. Kai’sa breathed out a shuddering breath against the top of her head, her whole body trembling.

“Bad one, huh?” Evelynn asked quietly, stroking soothingly down Kai’sa’s spine. Kai’sa nodded mutely against the top of her head. “Where’s Ahri?” she asked gently.

“I – I don’t –” She gasped shakily, voice thick with panic. “I don’t think she knows how to deal with this. Not really. And she sleeps so hard and I don’t want to wake her up, Eve, I –”

Evelynn shushed her, her heart giving a twinge in her chest. “It’s alright. Come on. You can stay in here.” She tugged at the hem of Kai’sa’s shirt. “You can take this off. Akali’s here, but if you don’t mind that…”

Kai’sa tugged her clothes off, hands shaking, breathing uneven. Akali watched with one eye open, brow pinched. Evelynn made heavy eye contact with her, lips pressed into a thin line. Akali scooted over to the opposite end of the bed, leaving a space for Kai’sa to settle between them. She did, body tense and trembling. Evelynn climbed in as well, laying flat on her back. Kai’sa rolled into her, throwing her leg over her body, settling against Evelynn’s opposite hip. She rested her hand against Evelynn’s stomach, her cheek against her shoulder. Akali rolled into Kai’sa’s back, sneaking an arm around her midsection. Kai’sa let loose a small whimper, turning her head to attempt to place a kiss against _some_ part of Akali. The angle made it impossible, but Evelynn heard the soft smack of Akali pressing one to, presumably, Kai’sa’s shoulder.

They were shrouded in silence, Kai’sa’s hold tight and unrelenting against Evelynn’s shirt. “Do you want to talk about it?” she asked quietly.

“We never have before,” Kai’sa said back, just as quiet.

“We could now.”

Kai’sa sniffed, nuzzling her face against Evelynn’s shoulder. “Yes,” she said, voice dripping with shame, “I want to talk about it.”

Evelynn felt a pang of guilt, wishing she’d been a better girlfriend all those years ago. She didn’t know how long Kai’sa had wanted to discuss this with her. Not even just her. Maybe just somebody. But Evelynn had been too wrapped up in her own bullshit to even _think_ about Kai’sa’s baggage back then. “I’m all ears, sweet girl,” Evelynn murmured, low and throaty, against the top of Kai’sa’s head. A shiver ran down Kai’sa’s spine at the term of endearment.

It was silent for a while longer, long enough that she heard Akali’s breathing even out against Kai’sa’s back. She was pretty sure Kai’sa had fallen asleep too until she spoke. “I um. My parents were killed when I was eight. It was a break-in, and my dad made me hide in the closet. I didn’t see them die or anything, but I heard it all.” She swallowed thickly, and Evelynn felt the flutter of her eyelashes as her eyes squeezed shut. “The closet was really small and really dark and I was…I mean. I was eight, so I was terrified.”

Evelynn reached out, grasping Kai’sa’s hand that was tangled in her shirt. “You don’t have to be young to be scared of something like that,” she said, feeling a little sick.

Kai’sa made a low hum from deep in her chest, squeezing Evelynn’s hand. “The cops found me sometime later. I think it was days. I didn’t leave the closet because I knew what I’d find, you know? I don’t think they ever caught the people that did it.” She heaved a shuddering breath, hiding her face in Evelynn’s shoulder. “Anyway, I got put in foster care, adopted when I was twelve, but I’ll save you the horrors of the foster care system story for another day.”

Evelynn felt tense, a snarl ripping its way across her face. “Am I going to have to kill someone?”

Kai’sa huffed out a laugh against her skin, turning her head and pressing a warm kiss to her collar. “Maybe. I don’t know. Anyway, I just dream about…the dark. It’s suffocating. Sometimes I hear the sounds of my parents dying too, as if suffocating in the dark isn’t bad enough. Sometimes I dream about foster care. Depends on the night.” She curled harder into Evelynn’s side. “I love you,” she sighed.

“I love you too. Does Ahri know about all this?”

“I – no. Not officially. I think she suspects, but…” She shrugged, naked skin shifting against Evelynn’s.

Evelynn pressed her lips together, brow furrowing. “You’ve got to talk to her about it, Kai’sa.”

“We never talked about it.”

“Yeah, and I think that was half of our problem. It’ll save you both a lot of headache if you just talk to her about it. I just…want you to be happy.” It hurt to say, like she’d been kicked repeatedly in the stomach. She didn’t _want_ to give Kai’sa up. But she just wanted her to be happy and she’d chosen Ahri. Or, at least, it seemed like she _wanted_ to choose Ahri. Evelynn was just helping that along.

Kai’sa was quiet for a while, dropping Evelynn’s hand to run up her stomach again. “Okay,” she said quietly. “Hey Eve? I…I feel better now. Thank you.”

“Anytime,” she sighed, glancing her fingers up along Kai’sa’s thigh.

Kai’sa was sleeping a short time later, breathing deep and even against her chest. Evelynn couldn’t sleep. She was a little overwhelmed with a naked Kai’sa pressed against her, and Akali pressed against a naked Kai’sa’s back. Even though this position was incredibly vulnerable for Kai’sa, Evelynn was still having _thoughts_. She sort of hated herself for them, but she couldn’t stop thinking about Kai’sa sandwiched between her and Akali, face red, mouth open and panting. Evelynn screwed her eyes shut, pressing hard at them with one hand. “Gross,” she grumbled to herself, “You’re so gross.”

It took a while, but Evelynn’s inappropriate thoughts did eventually fade. She instead thought about what Kai’sa had told her. She’d learned more about Kai’sa tonight than she had in the three years they’d been involved. She figured that was what happened when you weren’t too wrapped up in your own garbage to worry about other people. She didn’t know what to _do_ with the information, aside from being an open ear for Kai’sa to talk to when she needed it. Evelynn’s childhood had been no walk in the park, but it was nothing compared to what Kai’sa went through. She sighed, dropping a kiss against the crown of her head. She would just do what she could and hope it was enough.

She was tired, but she couldn’t sleep. She was comfortable, but she couldn’t sleep. She checked the clock, grimacing at the early hour. She wished her fucking dog was here. The small grey cat had moved with the addition of more people in the bed. Evelynn just stared at the ceiling, staying still enough to not jostle the sleeping women next to her. Tonight was a lot. It abruptly became _more_ when she heard another set of footsteps. She turned her head, wishing Kai’sa had closed the door behind her so the noise would wake someone else up. Evelynn was only aware because she was already awake.

Ahri poked her head in, looking sleep ruffled and a little grumpy. Her hair was loose but tangled, red lines pressed into the skin of her face where she’d been anchored to, presumably, wrinkles in the pillowcase. She was half-naked, sleeping in a sports bra and a sinfully tight pair of shorts. Evelynn was a little surprised she wasn’t just outright naked. She remembered Ahri got hot during the night – her room was always kept glacially cold. She blinked as she studied the scene, a frown pulling at one side of her mouth. It was about then that she noticed that Evelynn was very much awake. She stared at her in silence – long enough for Evelynn to realize that the position looked like something it definitely wasn’t. She plucked at the collar of her shirt.

Ahri quirked a grin, waving her hand. “I’m not worried about that,” she whispered, leaning against the door frame. “Is she okay?” she asked, jutting her chin in Kai’sa’s direction.

Evelynn sighed, frowning. “I mean…as okay as can be expected, I guess, yeah.”

Ahri sighed, deflating, mouth twisting to the side. “I never – she gets up and I never hear it, but I think she forgets that it’s hard to sleep without someone in there with me. So I always know.” She glanced up, looking over the scene again. “Come on,” she whispered, beckoning to Evelynn. Evelynn, always powerless to say no to her, complied. She carefully untangled herself from Kai’sa’s embrace, which made her grumble and turn into Akali.

She followed Ahri downstairs, watched her pour a glass of wine. Ahri offered her one, but she refused, prompting an interested turn of Ahri’s head. Ahri led her back upstairs and into her own bedroom, past the bed and out onto the balcony. She leaned her back against the railing, tilting her head back and up toward the sky. Evelynn braced her palms on the railing as well, looking over the grounds. The pool was backlit, casting pretty shadows across Ahri’s skin even two floors up. It was a little cold out here, and Evelynn shivered against it. No one’s pants fit her right, so she was sleeping in one of Kai’sa’s too big shirts. Ahri had seen it all before, it didn’t bother her, but the chill sure did.

“I hate my job,” Ahri said bluntly.

Evelynn jerked, turning wide eyes to the woman beside her, who was looking down into her wine glass. “Since when?”

“Since you,” she sighed, taking a sizable swig of wine.

Evelynn’s expression soured and she rolled her eyes. “You are _not_ blaming me for the dissolution of your livelihood too, are you?”

Ahri barked a laugh, turning warm, amused eyes in her direction. “No. I’m not. I’m just saying that you were the only thing that made doing what I do any fun. At least I could fuck around with you at functions, even if I thought they were stupid. I just – Eve.” She turned, bracing her hands on the railing, back tense and straight as her head hung. “They have me doing just…bubblegum pop _crap_. The lyrics don’t mean anything, and worse, they’re making a mockery of Kai’sa’s choreography. She doesn’t even get to do anything challenging and I can tell she hates it but –”

“But it’s Kai’sa, so she won’t say anything,” Evelynn finished for her. “Yeah, I know.”

“Exactly! It’s just…I _hate_ it. I don’t want to just put out mass-produced garbage. I think I’m better than that, and I _know_ Kai’sa’s better than that.”

Evelynn stayed quiet, watching Ahri’s pretty face. Her brow was pinched harshly, her mouth pursed. Her cheeks were flushed pink, her fingers tight against the railing. “So do something about it, Ahri.”

She deflated even further, shoulders slumping, back bowing in a pretty arc. “It’s not that simple,” she ground out, voice rough and angry.

“Why? Tell me why.” Ahri fell silent and Evelynn watched her teeth clench. “You’re the industry darling, Ahri. They’d be stupid not to make concessions for you. And if they don’t, there are about a million more options for you. It’s a risk, but fuck it. If you’re miserable, why are you staying?”

The elephant in the room reared up between them then, but Evelynn bit back the latter part of her sentence. _You left me when you were miserable_. Ahri glanced over at her through a curtain of blonde hair, blue eyes guarded and sad. She ran her fingers through it, keeping them buried in blonde strands as she rested her elbows against the railing. “I didn’t know what else to do, Eve,” she sighed after a beat, and Evelynn knew they were no longer talking about her job.

“Not leave, preferably,” Evelynn sighed.

“If I hadn’t left, I think you would have died. You were –” Her hands clenched hard in her hair and Ahri squeezed her eyes shut. “I don’t even know what you were. You weren’t you. You’d just drift on me and I think you spent more time high than not. If I hadn’t done anything, I think I would have just kept enabling the habit. I just figured you were going to die if I didn’t do anything at all, but if I left, you had an actual chance of getting better. I was right.”

Evelynn reached out, pressing a hand to her shoulder. “I am going to say this once. I did not get clean for you or because of you. I did it for and because of me. Do not take credit for something you didn’t do.”

Ahri glanced up at her and Evelynn tensed, ready for a fight. Instead, something that looked remarkably like pride settled in Ahri’s eyes. “Okay.”

“That was easy.”

Ahri grinned, a fleeting, sharp thing. “You’re not the only one who grew in six years, baby.”

Evelynn thumbed at the edge of Ahri’s smile, shaking her head.

“I just…I don’t know. It was the only thing I could think to do. I just didn’t want to watch you die.” Ahri’s hands tightened in her hair again, hard enough that Evelynn was afraid she’d pop some strands free. “I don’t think I’d do anything different, but…I’m really glad you’re okay. I missed you.”

Evelynn snorted, shooting her an amused, sidelong glance.

“I’m serious, Eve. It wasn’t an easy decision to make and it…fucked me up pretty good.” She slid closer, pressing up against Evelynn’s side. It was nice – Ahri always was a space heater.

Evelynn reached up, touching gently at Ahri’s wrists. Ahri loosened her hold, letting her hands fall back to her sides. Evelynn looped their arms together, hearing Ahri draw in a shaky breath in response. “Okay,” she said simply. It didn’t air all the dirty laundry between them, but it was a start. She believed Ahri – and while she still thought the decision was wrong, she at least understood it. She _knew_ dealing with heroin addiction wasn’t something that just affected the addict.

“Your mom still calls me sometimes.”

“Ugh, I’m sorry.”

Ahri grinned at her, tilting her head to rest against Evelynn’s shoulder. “I think she’s sort of worried that she hasn’t heard from you.”

“No, she’s not. She just wants to talk to you. You know what they’re like.”

Ahri hummed as a response, settling a hand against Evelynn’s lower back. “Her and your dad got divorced, apparently.”

Evelynn scoffed, jaw tightening. “Jesus, good. Should have happened when I was sixteen, but here we are. Why are they even calling you? Just to catch up?”

Ahri shifted guiltily, mouth twisting to the side. “Yeah. I guess. They didn’t…they never reached out to you? At all?”

Evelynn laughed harshly, her chest giving a harsh pang despite herself. “No, of course not. What about my parents ever gave you the impression that they liked me? They liked you. They never liked me.”

Ahri didn’t even bother to argue the point, just pressed against her harder. “Well, your mom asked about you.”

“Yeah,” Evelynn said, bitterly glancing away from Ahri’s painfully earnest face. “She’d probably just say I got fat and say I looked better six years ago if she saw me now. Then we’d argue about the fact that I was on a strict heroin diet then, and I’d tell her to get fucked. Then she’d…I don’t know. Slap me, probably.”

Ahri frowned, fisting Evelynn’s shirt at her lower back. “If she did that, we’d have to fight.”

Evelynn laughed, reaching over and pinching Ahri hard at the waist, prompting her to yelp and jump. “Oh yeah? You’d throw down with my mom with your extensive martial arts training?”

Ahri laughed back, swatting half-heartedly at Evelynn’s hands. “I don’t need martial arts training to throw a chair at her head.”

“With what? Your terribly strong arms?” She reached up and squeezed at Ahri’s biceps, realizing with a nasty start that she was _flirting_ with Ahri.

“I’m perfectly strong, thank you,” Ahri shot back, grabbing Evelynn’s hips and tugging her forcefully forward. She collided with Ahri’s front, laughing despite herself. She bracketed Ahri’s body with her arms on either side of the railing. _“Fuck,”_ Ahri breathed, grabbing fistfuls of Evelynn’s collar and tugging her forward into a kiss.

There wasn’t much preamble. Ahri knew what she liked and what she didn’t. She wrapped herself around her, humming a low, pleased note from deep within her chest. Ahri’s tongue was in her mouth, her limbs were wound around her, and she smelled like orange blossom. Evelynn’s head spun. Still, though, it opened a floodgate of emotion from within her chest and she pressed forward, responding with gusto. Ahri was a hang-up for a long time – she still was, in a certain light. But here she was, open and willing and trusting beneath her hands. She tapped her fingers along the ridges of Ahri’s ribs, dipping her head to press open-mouthed kisses against her neck. She nipped at the skin there, soothing the sting by closing her mouth over it and sucking.

“Nng – yes,” Ahri gasped, red-faced and panting. Her hands flew to Evelynn’s head, keeping her mouth right where it was, seemingly approving of her mark-making.

Evelynn smoothed her hands down Ahri’s abs, hooking her fingers into her shorts and running them back and forth, teasing the skin just beneath. She gripped a handful of Ahri’s ass, giving a brief, tight squeeze before bringing the flat of her palm down in as stinging a slap as she could manage in the tight quarters. Ahri had always enjoyed a little rough treatment. Ahri whimpered against it, digging her fingernails into Evelynn’s shoulders and tilting her head back toward the sky. Breathing out a slow, centering breath against her neck, Evelynn worked her hand beneath those skin-tight shorts, pressing her fingers up against her.

“Jesus,” she breathed out, eyebrows jumping as she slid them through the crux of Ahri’s thighs, already slippery and wet.

“You’re pretty,” Ahri panted up at her, skin flushed and pupils blown, “And your voice is nice.”

Evelynn grinned at her, a sharp, dangerous-looking thing filled with too many teeth. She slipped two fingers inside her, swallowing back the broken moan Ahri graced her with as she captured her lips once more. They kissed without finesse, sloppy and needy as Ahri’s fingers tangled in her hair. She tasted like Merlot, and Evelynn spared a thought for where her wine glass had ended up. She worked her arm, fucking Ahri with rough, quick strokes that had her thighs shaking. Ahri’s hips stuttered forward, trying in vain to keep a rhythm. Evelynn smoothed her hand over her hip, pressing her hard to the railing behind her. “No,” she said, breathing it out against Ahri’s lips.

Ahri’s eyes cracked open, defiant, and bratty. Her stomach clenched, abs engaging as she pushed back against Evelynn’s anchoring hand. Evelynn’s hand shot up to wrap around Ahri’s throat instead. “No,” she repeated more firmly, flexing her fingers. She didn’t choke her – but the threat was there, the fleeting pressure showing Ahri that she _could_. She could feel the thundering of her pulse against her hand and her mouth curled in a smirk as Ahri’s hands came up to wrap around her wrist. “Good girl,” she purred to her.

It took them both by surprise. Ahri sang out in her high soprano, sounding a little choked off because of the fleeting pressure at her throat. Her eyes rolled back in her head and she collapsed forward, knocking Evelynn’s hand loose as she wrapped herself around her. Evelynn felt her clench down on her fingers, felt the rush of liquid that signified Ahri’s orgasm. She blinked in surprise, genuinely taken aback by how quick and messy it was. She gently pressed Ahri against her with a hand at her lower back, working her fingers free. She wrapped the fingers of that hand against Ahri’s hip, leaving a smear of liquid behind.

Arousal pounded a steady rhythm in her gut and Evelynn swallowed hard against it. “Oh god,” Ahri panted, biting at Evelynn’s shoulder, “Holy fuck – I – _god._ ” She took several seconds to compose herself, looking up red-faced and hazy. “Can I sleep with you guys?”

Evelynn swallowed hard, the insistent throbbing between her own legs shaping up to be a real problem. “It’s your house,” she said, voice low and gravelly. She watched Ahri’s eyes darken at the sound. “You can sleep where you want.” She brushed her thumb against Ahri’s lower lip, watching in fascination as Ahri closed her fingers around her wrist, turning her head and taking two of Evelynn’s fingers nearly down her throat, sucking the taste of herself off them. Evelynn was pretty sure she was going to pass out. She’d forgotten how Ahri being a brat both infuriated her and got her going at the same time. Fucking Ahri.

Ahri took her hand, giving her a shaky smile and leading her back to the guest room. It was _stupid_ , Ahri’s bed was bigger, but whatever. Evelynn sighed, swallowing thickly and accepting that sleep was going to be a long time coming while she felt so hot and overstimulated. She ran her hands through her hair, walking through the door before she was tugged forcefully backward. Ahri manhandled her, shoving her against the wall with a thump. She dropped to her knees a second later, pushing Evelynn’s shirt up and planting messy kisses against her abs.

Evelynn inhaled sharply through her nose, arousal pounding almost painfully low in her stomach. Ahri dragged her underwear down, nipping at the jut of her hipbone before burying her head between Evelynn’s thighs. Evelynn cursed, biting hard at her own knuckles. Kai’sa and Akali were sleeping mere feet away and she really didn’t want to wake them up to this. Or maybe she did. She didn’t think she’d mind them watching. Or joining in, you know, whatever they decided. Ahri’s tongue swiped through her folds, making Evelynn’s mind going a little hazy. Ahri gave the _best_ head, Evelynn had not forgotten.

It felt absurdly good, and the added thrill of being caught just heightened it all. She breathed out, uneven and ragged, covering her face with her hands as Ahri worked magic between her thighs. She choked out a groan from behind clenched teeth, prompting a happy hum from the woman between her legs. Ahri gripped her hips, yanking her forward, encouraging Evelynn to roll down and into her face. Evelynn couldn’t look at her, gripping the edge of her borrowed shirt and pulling it up and over her face. It fully exposed her, but she didn’t care. Ahri had seen it all before. A small noise she couldn’t identify left Ahri’s mouth, but she pulled her forward again, redoubling her efforts. Evelynn bit the fabric, clenching her teeth over it as she felt warmth, molten and thick, spread out from low in her stomach. “Ahri,” she breathed out, reaching down with one hand and running it through Ahri’s hair.

“Mhmmm,” Ahri hummed, doing _something_ with her tongue that sent Evelynn’s hips jerking forward.

She groaned, keeping the shirt pressed against her face, hips rolling a slow rhythm against Ahri’s mouth. She leaned hard against the wall, bracing her shoulders against it as she felt her legs go a little weak. Ahri ran her nails down her thighs, pulling back with a gasp, forcing a stilted moan from Evelynn’s lips. She flattened her tongue, letting Evelynn roll into it for a moment before she tilted her head, flicking at her clit with the tip of it. The orgasm built, a slow, rolling thing that had her gripping onto Ahri’s head with her free hand. The rhythm of her hips became stumbling and stilted, her breathing tearing from parched lungs. _“Ahri,”_ she gasped, her head snapping back and hitting hard against the wall. Her stomach tightened and she folded down as she came, teeth sinking into her lower lip.

Ahri pulled away from her and Evelynn placed her hands on her knees, panting hard as she sat folded nearly in two in the hallway of this absurd mansion. Her hands gently pushed Evelynn back, pulling her shirt up as her lips pressed gently against her hipbone, her stomach, her ribs. She drew her tongue along the faint white line of the defibrillator scar, biting at the image of the fox imprinted onto her skin. She kissed up between her breasts, at the dip of her collar bone, once, gently, on Evelynn’s chin before she kissed her properly, tongue dipping into her panting mouth.

Evelynn broke away with a gasp, feeling hot and sweaty, clinging to Ahri’s ribs. She leaned into her, pressing a kiss against her pounding pulse. Ahri smoothed her hands down her back, taking the shirt with them, settling it back against her frame. She breathed Ahri in, the air thick with the smell of sex. Her eyes drooped, and the thought of curling up against Akali, Kai’sa, and Ahri was appealing. She tugged at Ahri’s hands, letting her crawl into the bed before her, curling up against Kai’sa’s back. Kai’sa stirred, glancing blearily over her shoulder, her expression going soft despite it.

“Hi,” she whispered, voice scratchy.

“Hey,” Ahri replied, tucking her head against the nape of Kai’sa’s neck. Her hand fell upon Akali’s hip, and she squeezed, breathing out deep and slow.

Evelynn stood in the doorway, still feeling overwhelmed and hazy. Today had been a _lot_. Ahri glanced over her shoulder, blue eyes tired and satisfied. She beckoned her closer, and Evelynn followed. She curled against Ahri’s back, pushing herself up and pressing a kiss to Kai’sa’s, then Akali’s cheek.

She woke up in a confusing tangle of limbs, groaning at the early morning light filtering in. Somehow they had all shifted and she was sandwiched between Ahri and Akali. Satisfaction curled, warm and lovely in her chest and she rolled over, face planting in someone’s shoulder as she fell right back asleep.

Kai’sa made them pancakes around noon.

***

The following months went well. Akali all but moved into her rented house with her, and Ahri and Kai’sa split their time between the mansion and the rented space. Zeus had a fucking conniption the first time he saw Kai’sa again, launching his giant body against her and whining high in his throat as he excitedly tapped his feet. Kai’sa went misty-eyed and emotional, burying her face in his fur and hugging him tightly. Goblin refused to interact with her, turning her nose up and flaunting the fact that Ahri was her favorite in both hers and Kai’sa’s faces. She really was the worst cat.

The sex didn’t stop. She and Akali made out lazily in her bed, hands wandering until inevitably someone ended up naked. Ahri would tug her into side rooms, stealing quick, messy moments. Kai’sa had her in increasingly creative spaces, one of which had Evelynn pressed face down against the hood of the Bugatti. Evelynn in turn walked in on Ahri pressed against Akali’s front in the pool, both their eyes going wide as saucers as they noticed her presence. Evelynn just blinked, turned back around, and left them to it. She knew she should be jealous, but she really wasn’t. They loved her, at least Akali and Kai’sa did, what did it matter if they all loved each other too. She’d take that over them hating each other, for sure.

It was on month six of “sneaking around,” if you could call it that, that Ahri called them all together. She leaned against Kai’sa’s front, who in turn smoothed her fingers through her hair. Evelynn was tempted to nod off against her if it weren’t for the serious set of Ahri’s mouth. “Okay, so we’re all pretty clear that we’re all sleeping with each other, right?”

Kai’sa laughed, jostling Evelynn’s head.

Akali leaned against Kai’sa’s back, pressing her cheek atop her head. “I mean, yeah. Pretty sure that’s been an open secret for a while now.”

“Great,” Ahri said with a solemn nod, “So this is stupid. Why don’t we all just…” She made vague gestures with her hands, cheeks going a little pink.

“I don’t know what that means,” Akali laughed, moving over to flop her head in Ahri’s lap instead.

“Like…do it. At the same time. See what it’s like?”

Evelynn arched a brow, glancing up to gauge Kai’sa’s reaction. Kai’sa looked down at her, shrugging one shoulder. Typical. That woman was down for just about anything. Evelynn loved her so much.

“That’s a lot of tits in one room,” Akali mused, eyes falling to Evelynn’s chest from across the space.

Ahri sighed, the air hissing from between her teeth like a gas leak. “Yes. That’s sort of the point.” She made eye contact with Evelynn from across the room, throat bobbing. It betrayed her nervousness – hard to see if people didn’t know Ahri as Evelynn did.

“Okay,” she said, sitting up straight and saving Ahri the headache. “Sure. Let’s try it. It’s no secret that I’m pretty in love with every woman in this room. The idea of getting all of you in one spot is not unappealing.”

Ahri’s eyes went soft and she bit her bottom lip. She carefully pressed Akali’s head up, crawling across the space to snag Evelynn’s chin between her fingers. She planted one on her, drawing her nose up the length of Evelynn’s. “I love you too,” she breathed quietly, leaning over her shoulder to kiss Kai’sa too.

With one statement it seemed like she’d gotten all three women in their feelings because Kai’sa and Akali kissed her not long after. There were worse things she could and _had_ done, so Evelynn counted it as a win. “So where are we doing this?” she asked, swatting at Akali’s wandering hands.

“Um. My bed’s the biggest?” Ahri said, voice going an octave higher, betraying just how nervous she was.

Evelynn sighed, grabbing her wrist and pressing a kiss to her knuckles. “We don’t have to do this,” she assured her, glancing back to see Kai’sa and Akali nodding with her.

Ahri fell silent, fixing each of them with a too blue stare. “I want to,” she said firmly, tugging Evelynn closer to prove her point. She bit her shoulder, sending a pang of want through Evelynn’s stomach. She was pretty sure she might pass out with all three of her favorite women naked in a room, but hey. What a way to go. They wandered upstairs, the tension hot and thick between them all. Kai’sa’s hands found their way to Evelynn’s ribs, soothingly stroking warm stripes against her skin. Evelynn hummed her approval, heart giving a funny lurch. She wasn’t sure what to do with this much love in her heart. She never thought it possible, but there she was, loving three women with equal desperation.

Ahri sat first, her weight sinking against the mattress. Akali and Kai’sa stood, trading an indecisive look between them. Evelynn sighed, rolling her eyes. She strode forward, grabbing Ahri’s face between her palms and kissing her hard, like it was just the two of them in the room. She ended up perched atop her, straddling her lap while Ahri’s hands cupped her rear. Ahri gasped against her mouth, eyes open and trusting, body warm and pliant beneath her.

Kai’sa nosed against Ahri’s cheek and Ahri groped for her, fingers tangling in her hair as she turned, open-mouthed, to meet Kai’sa’s lips. Evelynn watched, feeling a flush climb up her neck at the proximity. It was better than porn, it was better than every filthy fantasy that had played in her mind. It was a _lot_.

She felt hands cup her breasts, felt lips press against her shoulder. Evelynn breathed shakily in, turning her head to meet Akali’s lips as she worked her shirt off. Akali rested her forehead against Evelynn’s, and Evelynn watched her swallow hard. “It’s a lot, huh?” she whispered to her.

Akali nodded in response, gently turning Evelynn’s head with her index finger to watch Kai’sa and Ahri make out again. “It’s awful good though,” she murmured against her skin, thumbs brushing over Evelynn’s nipples.

She felt her eyes flutter and she rested her back against Akali’s front, swallowing hard every time Akali brushed against her. She heard the wet smack of Ahri’s and Kai’sa’s kiss breaking, heard Ahri’s sharp intake of breath. She opened her eyes, delighting in how drunk Ahri looked watching her. Kai’sa looked almost painfully turned on, her face flushed, full lower lip caught between her teeth. She was so disgustingly gorgeous. Evelynn reached for her, hips jumping as Ahri’s mouth closed around one of her breasts. Kai’sa groaned, smoothing a hand down Evelynn’s throat, between her breasts, glancing over Ahri’s head before tracing a burning hot path down her stomach to the button of her pants. She popped it one-handed and Evelynn tugged more harshly at her shirt.

Kai’sa came willingly, glancing her lips across her cheekbone before kissing Akali over her shoulder. “That’s fucking rude,” Evelynn panted against the pretty slope of Kai’sa’s neck. She instead worked on getting Kai’sa naked, pushing at her shirt and unbuckling her belt, pushing her pants down her hips. The angle wasn’t working, and she was sandwiched between two women who seemed to _really_ not want to let her go. Today was fucking fantastic. She abandoned the quest to get Kai’sa naked, trusting either Ahri or Akali to finish the job for her. She instead closed her hands around Ahri’s head. Ahri looked up at her, cheeks hollowed out, her nipple in her mouth. Jesus fuck.

Groaning, Evelynn untangled herself, watching Kai’sa take her place in front of Akali, pressing her down into the bed as she worked her tongue into Akali’s mouth. Evelynn peeled Ahri’s shirt up and off her head, taking the pause to strip the rest of her clothes off too. Ahri yanked her down, flipping their positions and ending up straddled over Evelynn’s stomach. Her hair was wild, her expression hungry and wanting. She bent, sloppily kissing her while Evelynn ran her hands up along the familiar curves of her body. She ground slowly against her lap, grasping greedily against any part of her she could reach.

“Mm,” Evelynn hummed, breaking away from Ahri’s gasping mouth. “Get me something you can ride.”

Ahri went bright pink, and she was pretty sure if Ahri had a tail, it would be wagging. Her eyes were bright and excited, and she clambered off Evelynn’s lap in favor of ducking underneath the bed. Evelynn turned her head to watch Kai’sa and Akali. Akali was seated against a fully naked Kai’sa, eyes closed and face flushed as she brushed her hands over strong shoulders. Evelynn bit her lower lip, watching them kiss with the sort of languid slowness that she preferred.

Ahri’s face popped back into her vision and Evelynn smiled at her, crooking her fingers to beckon her closer. Ahri stepped between her legs, swallowing hard as she bent to work straps along Evelynn’s hips and thighs. Evelynn offered no help, content to let Ahri set the pace for now. She wrapped her fingers around Ahri’s hips as she settled across her lap once more. She leaned forward, pressing a kiss against her pounding heart before closing her mouth around Ahri’s breast. Ahri groaned, tipping her head back. Evelynn felt someone’s eyes on them from across the room, the prospect of an audience making her flush hot. She drew her tongue along Ahri’s nipple, keeping eye contact the whole time. Ahri’s brow pinched and she bit her lower lip, grinding along the length of the strap-on between Evelynn’s legs.

She guided Ahri down on it, the woman in question gasping and whining as she did so. Evelynn braced her palms back against the bed, looking up expectantly once the toy was fully sheathed inside her. Ahri always did enjoy putting on a show. She was a vision, face flushed, sweat collecting along the lines of her abs. Evelynn wanted to _devour_ her. She gave her hips an experimental jog and Ahri groaned, head falling forward, chin resting against her chest. The toy was curved, designed to encourage g-spot stimulation with every stroke. She stopped though, looking expectantly up at Ahri.

A sinful smirk curved Ahri’s lips and she shifted her hips forward, riding the toy in earnest. She panted, brows furrowed, anchoring one hand on Evelynn’s shoulder while the other cupped her own breast, rolling her nipple between slim fingers. She tilted her head back, arching her back and moaning, high and sweet into the hot air of the room. It was entirely unnecessary, but Evelynn _knew_ Ahri got off on giving a show. She just smoothed her hands down the tight line of Ahri’s abs, scratching along her back as Ahri ground harder, her breasts bouncing as she lost some of the rhythm. She wrapped both hands around Evelynn’s shoulders, panting harshly against her as she desperately jerked her hips forward. Evelynn hummed her approval, closing her lips around Ahri’s nipple and sucking.

Kai’sa’s high cry made them both stop. Evelynn broke from Ahri’s chest with a small pop, turning her head to watch. Akali had her head buried between Kai’sa’s thighs, which were splayed open, giving Evelynn a lewd, _fantastic_ view. Kai’sa was flushed, with one hand buried in Akali’s hair, hips rolling up into her mouth. Akali’s hands kept Kai’sa’s thighs open, pressing tight enough that Evelynn could see the dimpled skin. Kai’sa gasped, head falling back, eyes screwed shut.

“Oh fucking _god_ ,” Evelynn groaned, fingers biting into Ahri’s hips.

“I know,” Ahri breathed back, seemingly as spellbound as she was.

They both watched Kai’sa break, her back arching, nipples pebbled, skin flushed. Akali pulled back, looking drunk off of her as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Kai’sa collapsed back against the pillows as Akali licked a hot stripe up her abs. Evelynn’s hips drove upward, and Ahri gasped, reminding them both of the issue at hand.

Evelynn refocused, scooting them both further up the bed and laying flat against it. She pressed her heels into the mattress, engaging the muscles in her core to drive harshly up and inside her. Ahri grunted, eyes rolling back as her spine went jelly. She braced her hands against Evelynn’s knees, groaning at every single harsh stroke. Evelynn reached out, about to press her thumb to Ahri’s clit and make her come, but Kai’sa beat her to it.

Her hands smoothed up over Ahri’s stomach, briefly squeezing her breasts before her right hand dropped down between Ahri’s splayed thighs, drawing tight, concentrated circles over her clit. Ahri jerked, whimpering Evelynn’s name. Kai’sa pressed her lips to the curve of Ahri’s jaw, smiling soft and indulgent as she watched. “Tell her she’s good, Kai’sa,” Evelynn panted.

Kai’sa’s eyes flashed down to meet hers, going molten and hungry.

“Trust me. Tell her she’s good.”

Kai’sa licked her lips, pressing them to the curve of Ahri’s ear and whispering something to her as she moved her fingers, slippery and wet, over Ahri’s stiff clit. Evelynn watched a full body flush move down Ahri’s chest as she sang out, high and pretty. “Oh – oh fuck. I can’t – oh god. Oh _god_ , oh _fuck_. Fuck. _Fuck!_ ”

Ahri’s hands slapped down on Evelynn’s chest, fingernails biting harshly into her skin. Her whole body trembled, legs jerking as she came hard enough to make her go limp. Kai’sa caught her, keeping her upright. She bit the curve of Ahri’s shoulder, as Evelynn slowed her thrusts, fucking her through the orgasm. Ahri was putty in Kai’sa’s hands, panting harshly into the curve of her cheek. Evelynn, mouth dry, sat up, licking a hot stripe up her neck as she carefully unseated her. Ahri collapsed against the bed, running her hands through sweaty hair. Evelynn felt the insistent pound of her own arousal before Akali yanked her forward, working her tongue into her mouth.

She ended up pressing her face between Akali’s legs while Kai’sa pounded her from behind. She collapsed next to Ahri on the bed, face flushed, satisfaction a heavy drag on her limbs. She clumsily reached over to pat her on the stomach. “Great idea,” she slurred as Kai’sa kissed up the curve of her spine, and Akali recovered above her, panting with both hands over her face.

\----

She moved into the mansion, Zeus gelling well with Kai’sa and Ahri’s dog. Of course he did. He was the best boy. Goblin, naturally, was a piece of shit to every animal in the house but behaved when Evelynn and Ahri were around. Evelynn found she quite liked dating three women at once. They kept her balanced, and, better, they satisfied her absurd sex drive. She never felt quite so fucked out after taking on all three of them at once. It was fantastic. She loved all of them, her heart threatening to burst with it.

Ahri was her bright and charismatic self, keeping Evelynn on her toes with every turn of phrase. Kai’sa was her quietly supportive self, while Akali called her out on some of her worse qualities. Evelynn felt surrounded by care and compassion and she wasn’t sure what to do with it, other than cling to each woman in her life with everything she had to offer.

She was resting against Kai’sa’s front while the other woman read. Her right hand braced the book, her left drawing nonsense patterns against Evelynn’s back. She was close to sleep, the pounding of her heart better than most anything else to lull Evelynn into a quiet stupor. Zeus was snoring next to the couch. Akali was moving around in the kitchen, grumbling. The front door flew open, Ahri launching into a loud tirade the second it did. Evelynn jerked hard, Kai’sa’s hand smoothing down her back in response.

“You’re good,” she murmured, “Go back to sleep.”

“Can’t when a banshee enters the house,” Evelynn grumped back.

Ahri launched herself over the couch, laying across Evelynn’s back. Evelynn grunted under the extra weight, but Kai’sa took it without complaint. “Eve! Oh my god! You were right! I just had to make a change! They’re letting me have more creative control! I don’t have to do shitty bubblegum pop anymore!”

She was happy for Ahri, she really was, but the screeching was just excessive.

Akali wandered over, peeking over the couch. “Oh, are we cuddle piling Eve? Tight.”

She flopped atop Ahri and even Kai’sa grumbled. “Ow,” she said, voice tight.

“I hate all of you so much,” Evelynn grumbled, tucking her head into Kai’sa’s chest.

She _really_ didn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me, waving my Kai'sa bias around on a flag: come get y'all juice. Writing foursomes are impossible xoxo, a two person sex scene is hard enough rip my sanity. GOD. Anyway, I really hope you guys enjoyed and feel free to leave comments/kudos if you want. You can also follow me on [tumblr](http://kealias-ohai.tumblr.com) if you want, but I mostly just lurk and do nothing on there lmao. Full disclosure, I hardly edited this, so if you see any glaring errors let me know. i was mostly just excited to get it out, so lmao.
> 
> EDIT: the amazing [League of Siege](http://leagueofsiege.tumblr.com) on tumblr made a piece of art of eve's tattoo!! AAAAAAH! give them a look, their tumblr is linked above!! Also their [youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=va7H5mXMBBQ&feature=youtu.be) & [Instagram!](https://www.instagram.com/leagueofsiege/)

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [All We Need is a Little Time (PODFIC)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28622406) by [ASingleYen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ASingleYen/pseuds/ASingleYen)




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